Archives for October 2009

A recent study shows that many pregnant women who are obese don’t even know it. Researchers in Australia surveyed more than 400 pregnant women and found that 30 percent of them were overweight or obese before becoming pregnant.

And when asked about their weight, 36 percent of them thought they were in a normal range.

Dr. Leonie Callaway of the University of Queensland said the trend could lead to many women not realizing the health risk their obesity may pose to their unborn child.

She also said it’s possible that obesity has become so common that it is seen as normal.

Study findings appear in the Medical Journal of Australia, and the researchers noted several risks that are associated with obesity during pregnancy.

They included congenital malformations, delivery problems and even miscarriage. Video plays below.

Have you had genetic testing that revealed Down syndrome? Are you struggling with a decision to contnue a pregnancy, or have you ended such a pregnancy?

Down's Syndrome Births Drop in UK More Accurate Screening of Moms Means Fewer Down's Syndrome Births

More accurate screening of moms in the U.K. means fewer Down's syndrome births, according to new research released this week.

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Boston (DbTechNo) - Onset of diabetes can be greatly delayed by eating a healthy diet and exercising, say researchers of a new study. This interesting study finding applies to people with many symptoms of pre-diabetes, meaning that they are on the verge of being diagnosed with it, but have not yet affirmatively been told they have the condition. The study result applies to people at risk of type 2 diabetes, the one form of the disease brought upon a person who is sedintary, follows a poor diet and smokes cigarettes.

Researchers followed up to 3,000 people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with 1 third asked to eat well and exercise, and a second third given the diabetes drug metformin. Those who exercised and ate well, lost an average of 15lbs over the first year of follow-up and overall this group was less prone to developing the condition. Participants in the healthy lifestyle group were 58% less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and those taking metformin were 31% less likely.

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Have you or someone you know been affected by teen or unplanned pregnancy? May 7, 2009, President Obama proposed approximately $164 million for a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative. This drive provides grants for evidence-based programs, research and evaluation.  According to Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, during an economic downturn and at a time when the teen birth rate is on the rise after 14 straight years of decline, it is particularly important that public dollars be devoted to those interventions that have evidence of success.

“This plan is allocating government money toward researching and finding innovative solutions for a national problem that has been occurring for years,” junior social work major Liz DiLeonardi said.

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DIABETES mellitus is a condition in which the blood glucose is too high (hyperglycaemia). It is due to insufficient insulin being produced or the cells in the body being unable to use insulin the way they should. Without insulin, the blood glucose that cannot get into the body’s cells accumulates in the bloodstream.

Diabetic pregnancies had invariably resulted in miscarriages or stillbirths until about three decades ago. Many diabetics get pregnant today. Although there are potential complications, a healthy baby will result, provided there is good control of the blood glucose. This can be achieved by close partnership between the patient with her obstetrician and her physician or endocrinologist.

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Findings of a new study suggest that obese women not only gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy, but also retain a substantial portion of that extra weight a year after delivery. The more pregnancy pounds an obese woman gained, the more she retained one year after giving birth, established the study. The study and its findings For the purpose of the study, researchers tracked 1,656 obese women who gave birth over five years.

Majority, three-quarters of them, gained more than 15 pounds, the recommended weight gain for obese women, during pregnancy. Moreover, these obese women were unable to shed that extra weight after childbirth. The study found that women who put on more than 15 to 25 pounds were twice as likely to remain more than 10 pounds overweight vis-à-vis women who gained less than 15 pounds.

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The number of babies diagnosed with Down's syndrome has risen sharply in the last 20 years - largely due to women delaying motherhood, research shows. Increasing numbers of older mothers is behind a 71% rise in the number of babies with the condition - from 1,075 diagnoses in 1989/90 to 1,843 in 2007/8.

However, the number of babies born with Down's has remained fairly static over the same period due to improved screening and subsequent abortions, the study found. Live births of Down's babies fell just 1%, from 752 to 743 (or 1.10 to 1.08 per 1,000 births) over the time period. If screening had not happened, the number of babies born with Down's would have risen 48%. Experts from Queen Mary, University of London, analysed data from the Down's register for England and Wales for the study, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

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It’s no good to get obese but it is exceedingly perilous to become obese during pregnancy. Well, this is the conviction of the medical fraternity worldwide but contrary to their beliefs shocking results are coming to the fore. It has already become a reality, in the region of half of women initiate their pregnancies either overweight or obese.

What is more, a recently concluded study reports most of obese women did attain in excess of the recommended weight during pregnancy. A year after delivery, those women were found to maintain an average of 40 percent of that additional weight. Perhaps the graveness is more than that was thought. The study was conducted under the auspices of Dr. Kimberly Vesco of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, who led a study of 1,656 obese women that documented their weight prior to, all through, and following pregnancy. The reports state very clearly that About three quarters of the women gained more than 15 pounds while pregnant, the minimum weight gain recommended for obese women at the time of the study.

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The number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has risen sharply over the past 20 years, largely because of an increase in older women trying to have children, research suggests.

A study of Down’s syndrome trends by scientists from Queen Mary, University of London, shows that antenatal and postnatal diagnoses have increased by 71 per cent, from 1,075 in 1989 to 1,843 last year. But the number of babies born with Down’s has remained fairly static over the same period. Live births of Down’s babies fell by about 1 per cent, from 752 to 743, over the same period.

If screening had not taken place, the number of babies born with Down’s syndrome would have risen 48 per cent, the researchers concluded. The team said that they were surprised that the number of births had not dropped even more. They also observed that rates of screening among pregnant women over the age of 37 had not increased, despite the improved diagnostics.

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Federal health officials have admitted their early timetable for distributing the H1N1 flu vaccine was far off the mark. They originally forecast having about 40 million doses available by the end of October. But, as of Monday, less than half that number are ready. Among those who may need the vaccine most are pregnant women, as CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton reports.

As H1N1 vaccine clinics have started to spring up, some pregnant women are choosing to line up. "I feel like I can pass the protection on to my newborn daughter," one expectant mother said. To understand how dangerous the H1N1 virus can be for pregnant women, consider the case of 27-year-old Aubrey Opdyke, who is just beginning her slow recovery from a near death experience.

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