Binge drinking during pregnancy linked to negative emotions

Posted by Neill Abayon

Researchers in Norway found that negative affectivity is linked to light alcohol use and binge drinking during pregnancy. 

Pregnancy is often described as one of the happiest times in a woman's life, but according to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, between 14-23% of pregnant women will struggle with depression.

Negative affectivity is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anxiety and depression. Women suffering from this often tend to have an unfavorable view of themselves and the world in general.

They may be overwhelmed with feelings of worthlessness and guilt and may lose the desire or ability to look after themselves properly.

Previous studies have linked negative affectivity with greater vulnerability to stress, intense emotional reactions to daily life, and inclination to use intoxicants, such as alcohol, in response to stress. 


More here.


 

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea Tied to Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications

By Robert Preidt

Women with chlamydia or gonorrhea infections before or during pregnancy are at increased risk for pregnancy complications such as stillbirth and premature birth, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 350,000 Australian women who had their first child between 1999 and 2008. Of those women, 1 percent had at least one chlamydia infection before they gave birth, and 81 percent of those women were diagnosed before they became pregnant.

The study also found that 0.6 percent of the women had a gonorrhea infection before they gave birth, and nearly 85 percent of those women were diagnosed before they became pregnant. Half of the women diagnosed with gonorrhea had also previously been infected with chlamydia, found researchers Dr. Bette Liu, at the University of New South Wales, and colleagues.

Among all the women in the study, 4 percent had an unplanned premature birth, 12 percent had babies who were small for their gestational age, and 0.6 percent had stillborn babies.

After taking into account factors known to increase the risk of birth complications -- including age, poverty, smoking and health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure -- the researchers found that a prior infection with either chlamydia or gonorrhea also increased the risk.

Women who'd had chlamydia were 17 percent more likely to have an unplanned premature birth and 40 percent more likely to have a stillborn baby. There was no increased risk of having a baby that was small for its gestational age.

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Antioxidant Supplements Don't Help Women Get Pregnant: Review

By Robert Preidt

For women who are trying to get pregnant, there is no evidence that taking antioxidant supplements will improve their chances, a new review shows.

Researchers analyzed data from 28 clinical trials that included a total of 3,548 women attending fertility clinics. Women who took antioxidant supplements were no more likely to become pregnant than those who took an inactive placebo or received standard treatment, including folic acid.

The findings were published Aug. 5 in The Cochrane Library.

More here.

American Way of Birth, Costliest in the World

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL


LACONIA, N.H. — Seven months pregnant, at a time when most expectant couples are stockpiling diapers and choosing car seats, Renée Martin was struggling with bigger purchases.

At a prenatal class in March, she was told about epidural anesthesia and was given the option of using a birthing tub during labor. To each offer, she had one gnawing question: “How much is that going to cost?”

Though Ms. Martin, 31, and her husband, Mark Willett, are both professionals with health insurance, her current policy does not cover maternity care. So the couple had to approach the nine months that led to the birth of their daughter in May like an extended shopping trip though the American health care bazaar, sorting through an array of maternity services that most often have no clear price and — with no insurer to haggle on their behalf — trying to negotiate discounts from hospitals and doctors.

When she became pregnant, Ms. Martin called her local hospital inquiring about the price of maternity care; the finance office at first said it did not know, and then gave her a range of $4,000 to $45,000. “It was unreal,” Ms. Martin said. “I was like, How could you not know this? You’re a hospital.”

Read full article here.

Acupuncture Can Relieve Symptoms Of Indigestion In Pregnancy

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new study has suggested that acupuncture can help ease the symptoms of indigestion in pregnancy.

Digestive disorders are one of the most frequent complaints in pregnancy, with 45 to 80 per cent of women reporting heartburn, pain or discomfort, egurgitation, belching and bloating.

Researchers from Sao Paulo University in Brazil say that such symptoms tend to get worse as a pregnancy progresses.

For the study, they involved 36 women aged 15 to 39 who were 15 to 30 weeks into their pregnancy.

All were suffering symptoms of indigestion and none had had acupuncture in the previous year or had an underlying condition that could have caused the symptoms, and none had a history of similar problems before they fell pregnant.

On average, 12 needles were used and were left in the body for about 25 minutes per session.

The researchers found that average heartburn intensity fell by at least a half in 75 per cent women receiving acupuncture compared with 44 per cent women not receiving it.

Read the full article here.

How Caffeine During Pregnancy Can Damage Your Baby

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new study published online in The FASEB Journal shows that the equivalent of one dose of caffeine (just two cups of coffee) ingested during pregnancy may be enough to affect fetal heart development and then reduce heart function over the entire lifespan of the child. In addition, the researchers also found that this relatively minimal amount of exposure may lead to higher body fat among males, when compared to those who were not exposed to caffeine. Although the study was in mice, the biological cause and effect described in the research paper is plausible in humans.

According to Scott Rivkees, Yale's Associate Chair of Pediatric Research and a senior researcher on the study, "Our studies raise potential concerns about caffeine exposure during very early pregnancy, but further studies are necessary to evaluate caffeine's safety during pregnancy."

To reach their conclusion researchers studied four groups of pregnant mice under two sets of conditions for 48 hours. The first two groups were studied in "room air," with one group having been injected with caffeine and another injected with saline solution. The second two groups were studied under conditions where ambient oxygen levels were halved, with one group receiving caffeine and the other receiving saline solution. They found that under both circumstances, mice given caffeine produced embryos with a thinner layer of tissue separating some of the heart's chambers than the group that was not given caffeine.

Read the full article here.

Asthma link to pregnancy stress

Posted by Neill Abayon

Women who are stressed in pregnancy may raise the risk of their child developing asthma or other allergies, a study suggests.

Researchers found higher levels of a chemical linked to allergy in the blood of children of stressed mothers.

Levels were high even in those who had not been exposed to high levels of dust mites, a recognised allergies trigger.

Harvard Medical School, which studied 387 babies, will present the study to the American Thoracic Society.

It is thought the risk of asthma and allergy is controlled by a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.

However, researchers suspect the impact of these factors may also in some way be influenced by the environment a foetus is exposed to while still in the uterus.

The Harvard team examined the theory that stress during pregnancy can magnify the effect of foetal exposure to substances which can trigger allergy.

The researchers measured levels of Immunoglobulin (IgE) - a chemical linked to allergic responses - in the umbilical cord blood of 387 babies.

Amplified response

Because even babies exposed to low levels of dust mites in the uterus showed elevated levels of IgE, the researchers concluded that stress was amplifying their allergic response.

Researcher Dr Rosalind Wright said: "This research adds to a growing body of evidence that links maternal stress, such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues, to changes in children's developing immune systems, even during pregnancy.

"This further supports the notion that stress can be thought of as a social pollutant that, when 'breathed' into the body, may influence the body's immune response similar to the effects of physical pollutants like allergens, thus adding to their effects."

However, Dr Wright said more work was needed to tease out further the effect of stress from other possible factors which may influence allergy risk.

Dr Mike Thomas, chief medical adviser for the charity Asthma UK, said: "The link between stress and asthma has long been recognised and, although it's still not fully understood, part of the link may be due to the effects of stress on the body's immune system.

"These preliminary findings are of interest and potential importance and further support the need for a healthy and balanced lifestyle during pregnancy, as it could lead to a reduction in asthma and allergies."