A couple of breast-related news items caught my eye this week: A study led by a Harvard Medical School researcher found that women who had spent at least two years breastfeeding were 19 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack than those who hadn’t breastfed at all. Results were independent of any of the [...]

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has announced that pregnant women and those who plan to become so should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil if possible because of a risk of birth defects. They also cautioned against pregnant women taking a number of other related antidepressants, but said cases should be considered on [...]

Preeclampsia is a sudden complication of pregnancy that can be deadly for both mother and baby. Researchers at the U. S. National Institutes of Health have announced new findings that offer hope for earlier detection and possibly a cure. They say women with preeclampsia have high levels of two blood proteins several months before they [...]

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), a test for birth defects, carries the same risk as the more commonly used amniocentesis, a new study has shown. Doctors previously thought its risk to be greater. Women can undergo CVS about six weeks earlier than amniocentesis, at 10 to 12 weeks gestation, so these findings, if confirmed, will be [...]

Last week, researchers announced the discovery of a genetic variant that may help identify women at higher risk of having premature births. This would allow doctors to take appropriate measures to minimize the risk. The scientists also found that African-American babies were three times more likely than those of European descent to carry this genetic [...]

Two recent studies offer further support for the benefits of breast milk. One, appearing in this month’s Pediatrics magazine, claims that babies who are breast-fed for more than three months are less likely to become bedwetters. Non-bedwetters had also been breastfed for an average of three months longer than bedwetters. The researchers caution, however, that [...]

Blogging Baby points out a new study indicating that vaginal births after C-sections (VBACs), even after multiple C’s, are safer than had been thought. Uterine tears or ruptures from a vaginal birth were only slightly more frequent in women who had more than one Cesarean. The new study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynocology, [...]

A new study indicates that most breast cancer treatments are safe during pregnancy, Blogging Baby reports. If true, this could mean fewer instances of the terrible choice between the life of the mother and the life of the baby. The researchers warn, however, that women should still not undergo radiation therapy while pregnant. They also [...]

Pregnant women should avoid all canned tuna, Consumer Reports magazine warned this week, citing potentially high levels of mercury. The Food and Drug Administration, on the other hand, says the average amount of mercury in light tuna is still within acceptable limits. Consumer Reports counters that although average amounts in light tuna may be low, [...]

In at least one hospital, more pregnant women than usual were scheduling inductions yesterday, trying to avoid giving birth on today’s date of 6/6/06. They fear the date corresponds to 666, the number of the beast, or Antichrist, in Revelations 13:18. It’s fitting then, that there’s news today of a new test that may more [...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) led a team that recently released new recommendations for women’s pre-pregnancy health. Most of the guidelines are old hat: treat existing conditions, stop smoking and alcohol consumption, take folic acid supplements, and maintain appropriate weight and nutrition. More controversial, though, is the suggestion that “all health encounters [...]

A new study indicates that