British Women too Overweight at Start of Pregnancy
Scientists in the United Kingdom are predicting that by the year 2010 nearly one fifth of pregnant women in the region will be obese at the start of their pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of complications for both mother and child, and placing additional strain on the pregnancy itself. The conclusions are the result of a review of the records of over 35,000 women who had visited a maternity unit between 1990 and 2004. The researchers were looking for correlations between maternal obesity and demographic and socio-economic variables over the 15-year period. What they found was that the percentage of women who were obese at the beginning of their pregnancy rose from 9.9 in 1990 to 16 in 2004. They added that these rates are quickly accelerating, and at their current rate will put that percentage at 22 per cent by 2010. Influencing a pregnant women’s obesity was her socio-economic status and age; the more obese women were generally older and living in poorer areas. In fact, women coming from economically strained areas were twice as likely to be obese at the time of becoming pregnant. Women who are obese at the start of pregnancy are at an increased risk of miscarriage, having blood clots, contracting preeclampsia or high blood pressure, and giving birth by cesarean section. They also are more likely to have high birth weight babies that are in turn, at an increased risk of death. “Maternal obesity is something that has crept up on us,” said Professor John Wilkinson who is Director of the North East Public Health Observatory. The researchers are calling the findings a “public health time bomb,” and are urging public health officials to intervene. Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
January 29, 2007
Stress and Partners Play Role in Fetus’ Brain Development
Researchers at Imperial College London have found that the stress a pregnant woman experiences as a result of emotional duress can have a significant impact on her baby’s brain development. “We found that if the woman had a partner who was being emotionally cruel to them while they were pregnant, it had a significant effect on their baby's future development,” said Vivette Glover, a researcher involved in the study. “It really shows that the partner has a big role to play.” Responsible for the effects is the hormone cortisol, which is released during stressful moments and can cross the placenta. Amongst other things, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or ADHD) was one condition associated with exposure to maternal stress, as was a lowered IQ and a tendency to be anxious and fearful. However Glover did acknowledge that other genetic factors as well as the home environment would also have an important impact. Source: RXPGNews.com
January 28, 2007
Reducing Caffeine Has Little Effect on Pregnancy
Despite its ubiquity, even amongst health professions, it appears the claim that caffeine during pregnancy is linked to greater risk of premature birth and underweight babies has been proven false by a new study. The study was conducted by Danish researchers seeking to infuse clarity into the murky debate, which has had health authorities confused for quite some time. Their research involved monitoring the pregnancies of over 1,200 health women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day – considered to be a high caffeine intake – and who were in their first trimester (or less than 20 weeks gestation). The group was then divided into two groups, the first of whom received caffeinated coffee, and the other half of whom received a decaffeinated version. The women were interviewed regularly to monitor their intake, as well as their length of gestation and their baby’s weight at the end of term. And to be sure their results would be accurate, the scientists adjusted them to take into account the women’s age, pre-pregnancy weight and smoking status. What they found was no statistical difference between the length of pregnancy and baby’s birth weight of the women of both groups. They further concluded that decreasing caffeine intake later in pregnancy had no effect on birth weight or duration of pregnancy. Source: MedicalNewsToday.com
