Puerto rico struggles with high preterm birth rate
Marta Valcarcel notices on a walk through a nursery full of tiny, heavily bandaged babies is the empty incubator in the corner.
She calls out to a nurse who only shakes her head. The infant who came in days earlier weighing less than 3 1/2 pounds had succumbed to illness – another child born [...]
the pill turns 50: debate continues over cultural significance women have new options
They might be surprised to learn that U.S. officials announcing approval of the worlds first oral contraceptive were uncomfortable.
Our own ideas of morality had nothing to do with the case, said John Harvey of the Food and Drug Administration in 1960.
The pill was safe, in other words. Dont blame us if you [...]
Americas Favorite Birth Control Method Turns 50
“Our own ideas of morality had nothing to do with the case,” said John Harvey of the Food and Drug Administration in 1960.
The pill was safe, in other words. Dont blame us if you think its wicked.
Sunday, Mothers Day, is the 50th anniversary of that provocative announcement that introduced to the world what is now [...]
Youngest Preterm Babies Get More Care, Not Likelier to Live
About 69 percent of the infants died after being born at 22 weeks to 24 weeks of a mothers pregnancy during the period 2001 to 2003, compared with 72 percent who died from 1993 to 1995, research in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine showed. More than twice as many babies [...]
Glaxosmithkline to Defend Paxil In Birth Defect Test-case Trial
Patients and their parents claim internal company documents produced for trial show Glaxo failed to warn about the risks of Paxil until forced to do so in 2005 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a trial set for Sept. 14, Michelle David blames the drug for causing life-threatening heart defects in her son [...]
Births to Unwed Moms Rising, N. Europe Beats Us
Iceland is the leader with 6 in 10 births occurring among unmarried women. About half of all births in Sweden and Norway are to unwed moms, while in the U.S., its about 40 percent.
France, Denmark and the United Kingdom also have higher percentages than the United States, according to the report from the U.S. Centers [...]
Us Births Break Record; 40 Pct Out-of-wedlock
Behind the number is both good and bad news. While it shows the U.S. population is more than replacing itself, a healthy trend, the teen birth rate was up for a second year in a row.
The birth rate rose slightly for women of all ages, and births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high of [...]
Call For Autopsy to Unravel Tragedy Of Stillbirth
More than 25,000 U.S. babies a year are stillborn, and in more than a third of the cases doctors cant find an explanation. New guidelines for obstetricians aim to help change that with a too often taboo recommendation: Gently urge more parents to accept an autopsy to help unravel this mystery killer, so that maybe [...]
Home-birth Advocates Press Pro-midwife Campaign
Nationally, a group called the Big Push for Midwives marked President Barack Obamas inauguration with an e-mail campaign urging him to ensure that midwives who specialize in home births are included in deliberations on federal health care reform.
“Were at a tipping point now,” said Katherine Prown, the Big Push campaign manager. “Home births are still [...]
8 Is Plenty: Mother Gives Birth to Octuplets
“We were fortunate that this patient was extremely strong, very courageous and able to handle these births,” said Dr. Karen E. Maples, who is chief of service for obstetrics and gynecology at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center and delivered Baby No. 8.
No pictures of the children were released, and at the mothers request doctors declined [...]