Migraines Predict Heart Disease and Stroke During Pregnancy
A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston suggests that pregnant women who experience migraines during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from a stroke, heart attack, or vascular disease while pregnant. The study analyzed pregnancy data of over 17 million women in the United States from the years 2000 to 2003. Almost 34,000 of these women were treated for migraines. The results suggest that pregnant women suffering from migraines were nineteen times more likely to suffer from a stroke, five times more likely to suffer from a heart attack, and twice as likely to have vascular problems such as heart disease or blood clots. The results are perhaps not surprising considering that a migraine is considered a vascular headache. Pregnant women over the age of 35 were found to be more likely to experience migraines while pregnant. Authors of the study advise that women who suffer from migraines or other vascular risk factors do their best to modify or control these risks while pregnant. This is especially true for older women and women who have developed other pregnancy risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. Source: Forbes.com
May 1, 2007
Study Links Pregnancy Smoking With Future Heart Dysfunction
Researchers from the Center for Perinatal Biology at Loma Linda University, California presented results of a study as part of Experimental Biology 2007 which linked prenatal nicotine exposure to the development of heart dysfunction in adult offspring. The researchers, led by Dr. Lubo Zhang, treated laboratory rats with nicotine while pregnantm, and up to ten days following delivery. The offspring were then assessed three months later, indicating that prenatal nicotine exposure significantly increased the offspring's susceptibility to heart injury. The injury was more pronounced in female rats, resulting in decreased coronary blood flow. The results are significant as they suggest that smoking during pregnancy can have harmful effects on offspring beyond the formative years and into adulthood. Previous studies had already confirmed the harmful effects of nicotine exposure at the fetal or newborn stage, including an increased chance of sudden infant death syndrome in newborns whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. Approximately 11% of women in the United States continue to smoke while pregnant. Source: Reuters Health
April 30, 2007
Obesity Increases Caesarian Risk
Researchers from the University of Liverpool have found that obese women are 3.5 times more likely to require a caesarian section delivery than pregnant women of average weight. Professor Sue Wray concludes that overweight women are at a considerably higher risk (one in five) of needing an emergency caesarian section birth in addition to finding labor a more difficult experience in general. This is largely due to a lack of strength affecting the wall of the uterus, which hinders its ability to contract more easily. The researchers suggest that this may be due to insufficient calcium levels entering and strengthening the muscles of the uterus as a result of high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Confirming this possibility, however, will require further research.
Source: Kiddicare.com
