Pregnancy

Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2008 -- Five states and non-profit organizations in Ohio, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and Texas were recently awarded more than $500,000 in federal grant funds to educate health care providers and women of child-bearing age on environmental health risks. The EPA grants will focus on environmental health issues that include exposure to mercury, lead, environmental tobacco smoke, chemicals, pesticides, drinking water contaminants, and indoor and outdoor air contaminants.    » read more »

28 January 2008 -- Pregnant women have long been told to limit the amount of caffeine they consume. Now a new study shows caffeine may dramatically increase the chance of miscarriage.

A new study shows that pregnant women who drink a cup and a half of coffee a day -- or more than 200 milligrams of caffeine -- double their risk of having a miscarriage.

And the warning goes for tea, caffeinated soft drinks and even some medications.

One of the screening questions asked of pregnant women is, "During this pregnancy, have you been drinking coffee at all?"    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- New data showing a significant increase in the Montana teen birth rate for 2006 has drawn the attention of officials with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

The state birth rate increased 9 percent last year marking the biggest single year increase since 1990, Colleen Lindsay, supervisor for the Women’s and Men’s Health Section for DPHHS, said Wednesday. The previous high was a 3.4 percent increase in 2004. The 2007 figures won’t be available until next year.    » read more »

A New Service Learning Program To Combat Teen Pregnancy And Increase Civic Engagement

December 6, 2007 -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Jeanne B. Mullgrav today announced the launch of Teen ACTION (Achieving Change Together In Our Neighborhoods), a new Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) initiative aimed at reducing rates of teen pregnancy and other high-risk behavior among the City's low-income young adults.    » read more »

December 05, 2007 -- The teen birth rate in the United States rose in 2006 for the first time since 1991, and unmarried childbearing also rose significantly, according to preliminary birth statistics released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).    » read more »

03 December 2007 -- A U.N. representative says more women in India die during pregnancy or childbirth than in any other country in the world. The U.N. official says India must improve its public health system to cut the rate of maternal mortality.

India accounts for 20 percent of the world's maternal deaths, with a woman dying every five minutes.

The U.N.'s Paul Hunt says the rate of maternal deaths is "shocking" for a middle income country, and many times higher than in other countries.    » read more »

Study Proves Abstinence-Only Programs Are Ineffective

Washington, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Cecile Richards praised a report released today by Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy definitively showing that abstinence-only programs are ineffective. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest network of sex education providers, called on Congress to stop funding abstinence-only programs that do nothing to help teens prevent unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.    » read more »

October 8, 2007 -- The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is urging women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season, and those who come in contact with high-risk populations, to receive the influenza vaccine. Pregnant women are included in the high-risk group for influenza and related complications, yet the vaccination rate for them is less than 15 percent (1989-2005 National Health Interview Survey data).    » read more »

6-Sep-2007, CHAPEL HILL — Pregnancy may open a window of vulnerability for developing binge eating disorder, especially for women from lower socio-economic situations, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and colleagues in Norway.

In a long-term study of 100,000 pregnant Norwegian women, the researchers saw an unexpected increase in new incidences of binge eating disorder that began during pregnancy. The research is the largest population-based study of eating disorders during pregnancy.    » read more »

St. Louis, Sept. 6, 2007 — Women who are obese, have type 2 diabetes or a family history of type 2 diabetes could one day have more successful pregnancies because of a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

This study, performed in mice, suggests that Metformin, the most commonly prescribed anti-diabetes drug, could potentially improve pregnancy outcomes in women with insulin resistance.    » read more »

Lexington, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2007) - The University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has received a $25,000 grant from the March of Dimes Chapter Community Grants Program and an additional $20,000 in matching funds from the University of Kentucky Research Foundation. The grant monies will fund a new prenatal program, Supporting Positive Pregnancy Outcomes in Rural Towns (SUPPORT), which is aimed at providing care to pregnant women with substance abuse problems.    » read more »