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A novel British study has annulled earlier claims made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that women should wait for at least six months following a miscarriage before conceiving for another pregnancy.

It has claimed that women who opt for a second pregnancy within a short time period following a miscarriage have a boosted likeliness of witnessing a healthy pregnancy.

The research involved over 30,000 women, all of whom have witnessed a miscarriage and subsequently opted for a pregnancy. The study segregated its participants in two groups-one conceiving within six months of an initial miscarriage and other opting for it after a six month’s span.

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Having a baby can be exciting and fun. But for mothers who delay childbearing and pregnancy until their late thirties and early forties, it can become a cause to worry thanks to one’s ticking biological clock.

A lot of couples nowdays prefer to postpone pregnancy, as a number of women are mostly career minded and hence a lot of moms over 40 are growing even more rapidly than before.

This comes as no surprise that there are lot of women having difficulties in conceiving in their forties. As a matter of fact, many people are still oblivious on how to get pregnant at 42.

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A miscarriage should not deter you from planning your next pregnancy immedietely. In fact, a study has now confirmed that women who conceive within six months of their initial miscarriage have the best chance of a healthy pregnancy with the lowest complication rates.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen reviewed the data of over 30,000 women, who visited Scottish hospitals between 1981 and 2000, to come to this conclusion. All the participants had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy, and subsequently conceived again.

According to the study, among those who got pregnant within six months of their initial miscarriage, 85% delivered a healthy baby. While, the ones who waited for more than two years to get pregnant again, the rate was 73%.

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A new study by Dutch researchers has found that women who have complications in pregnancy or a difficult labour stand a much greater chance of having post-natal depression than those who do not.

Post-natal depression occurs most often in the first three months after delivery and can range from mild symptoms - sometimes called the ‘baby blues’ - to clinically diagnosed post-natal depression.

Women who are not diagnosed early enough can end up suffering for many months or even years. The analysis of data from almost 5,000 women also revealed that one complication raises the chance of depression but this increases even further if more than one thing goes wrong.

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New research shows that babies born to methamphetamine-using moms face much higher risks of serious complications, compared to babies not exposed in the womb to this illegal street drug. Life-threatening pregnancy complications, such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, are also more common among women who use methamphetamine while pregnant, the researchers found.

Methamphetamine, also called meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that users inject, snort, smoke or swallow. A form called crystal meth looks like fragments of glass and is smoked using a glass pipe like those used to smoke crack cocaine.

Methamphetamine use among US women continues to be a serious problem. A recent study found that over the last 15 years, methamphetamine abuse has become the most common reason for pregnant women to seek drug counseling.

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Researchers found that the risk of having gestational diabetes during a future pregnancy increases with each previously affected one -- from 41 percent after the first to 57 percent after two pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes typically strikes during late pregnancy and is characterized by high blood sugar that results from the body's impaired use of insulin. While it rarely causes birth defects, complications can arise that threaten the health of both mom and baby.

"Because of the silent nature of gestational diabetes, it is important to identify early those who are at risk and watch them closely during their prenatal care," lead researcher Dr. Darios Getahun of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Medical Group, in Pasadena, told Reuters Health in an email.In an attempt to distinguish factors that put women at risk, Getahun and his colleagues studied the first two pregnancies of about 65,000 women and the first three pregnancies of about 13,000 women who sought care at their health center between 1991 and 2008.

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The traditional advice that expectant mothers should 'eat for two' is dangerous, says a report by a British government health watchdog. The watchdog, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), says it has been forced to speak out against the common advice to prevent an obesity crisis among mothers-to-be.

In a report released Wednesday, NICE suggests that pregnant women should do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day such as a brisk walk, swimming or cycling, according a Daily Mail report. Almost half of expectant mothers are overweight or obese, putting themselves at much higher risk of fatal health conditions such as blood clots, miscarriages and stillbirths, according to the latest statistics.

They should ensure that they eat breakfast so they aren't tempted by unhealthy snacks later in the day. New mothers should start shedding their baby weight six months after birth, the health watchdog advises. General practitioners should tell obese women to lose weight before they consider starting a family, it says, and girls should be taught at school the risks of being overweight and having children. Under the recommendations, women should not eat more food than normal until the last three months of pregnancy.

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Researchers believe the increased threat may come from the body rejecting donated eggs or underlying health problems that may come to the fore during artificial conception. They want increased vigilance so that the exact nature of the risk can be calculated.  "Women should be counselled and made aware of the risks they are taking and deaths should be properly reported," Professor Didi Braat at Radboud University in the Netherlands told the Sunday Times.

Prof Braat looked at the deaths between 1984 and 2008 in the Netherlands but believes they will apply to any developed country. She found 17 women who died in pregnancy who had had IVF treatment – a death rate of 42.5 for every 100,000 pregnancies. The death rate is 12.1 in every 100,000 for women who conceived naturally. The rising age of mothers may be increasing the number of complications. Last year nearly 27,000 women over 40 gave birth, a rise of 50 per cent in a decade. There are about 13,000 IVF births a year in Britain. The research was published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Many men suffer emotionally when their partner loses a pregnancy, but women are more likely to be affected for longer, new research suggests. Not too long ago, experts thought that a man didn't bond with his unborn child, and that miscarriages didn't affect men. While several investigators have since reported that men also report feelings of loss, sadness, and helplessness, it's not clear how severe their distress is, or how long it lasts.

To investigate, Dr. Grace Kong of Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong and colleagues followed 83 couples for one year after a miscarriage. They used two tests to gauge levels of psychological distress in both men and women: the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). None of the study participants had a history of mental illness.

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A cup of coffee a day will not increase a pregnant woman’s chances of a miscarriage, although in the past this was seen as the case, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

There have been conflicting studies regarding the impact of caffeine on pregnancy. But according to Dr. William Barth of the College committee, there are little to no problems with consuming a moderate amount of coffee: “I think it’s time to comfortably say that it’s okay to have a cup of coffee during pregnancy,” said Dr. Barth.

The committee’s research showed that consuming 200 milligrams of caffeine or a 12-ounce cup of coffee (4 12-ounce cups of tea) a day should not increase the chances of a miscarriage or premature births. However, the study did suggest that drinking more than 200 milligrams in a day could be seen as problematic.

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