Women who conceive less than 11 months after giving birth have a higher chance of going into labour or being medically induced before 37 weeks of gestation. In addition, the odds of a premature birth are also increased for those who wait three years to have another baby, suggests a new study published in BJOG: An [...]
A study has revealed a new link between low levels of the thyroid hormone thyroxine during pregnancy and risk of schizophrenia in the offspring. Low levels of free thyroxine in pregnant women, referred to as hypothyroxinemia, are associated with abnormalities in cognitive development similar to those in schizophrenia, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Hypothyroxinemia is also associated [...]
Scientists at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have concluded, after careful review of existing evidence, that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. In the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the CDC authors describe a rigorous weighing of evidence using established scientific [...]
Avoidable maternal and child deaths could be greatly reduced in a generation by rapid expansion of essential, highly-cost effective health interventions and services according new research published in The Lancet. Improving pregnancy and delivery care is just one of the three integrated packages of proven interventions which the researchers say will focus on a range [...]
NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s initiative, which aims to promote mental wellbeing among pregnant women and new mums, has been praised in a National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) report. Community Mental Health Team Leader, Justina Ritchie, is based in the Gardenhill Primary Care Centre in Castle Douglas, and has led on [...]
More babies born to young mothers will have a healthier start to life as the Scottish government’s Family Nurse Partnership expands. Since the programme began in January 2010 it has supported more than three thousand teenage mothers, with very high rates of engagement and low numbers leaving the programme. From April it will also be [...]
Pregnant women across Scotland are being urged to protect themselves against flu by getting the free flu vaccine, after recent figures show that over half (53 per cent) are still to be vaccinated. The call, backed by the Royal College of Midwives in Scotland, comes following an increase in the number of pregnant women hospitalised [...]
