| Improvement seen in fetal survival following preeclampsia
Fetal survival following a preeclamptic pregnancy has improved substantially over the last 35 years in Norway, likely due to a reduction in stillbirths and improvements in clinical management, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA. Preeclampsia (a potentially dangerous condition that may develop in late pregnancy with symptoms that include high blood pressure, fluid retention, excessive weight gain, and the presence of protein in the urine) is a well-known cause of perinatal (occurring during the period around birth) death. Despite improvements in clinical management, preeclampsia often culminates in the delivery of a very preterm infant following medical intervention. Even mild preterm delivery substantially increases the risk of neonatal death. Preeclampsia can progress rapidly, putting both mother and child at severe risk if no action is taken.
Doctors find way to detect fetal alcohol disorders in newborns
VANCOUVER -- A test developed by medical researchers in Toronto is providing a new means for Canadian doctors to detect fetal alcohol syndrome among newborns -- a problem that has become "a huge national disaster," costing Canadians an estimated $4 billion each year, an expert in fetal alcohol disorders said Sunday. Fetal alcohol syndrome and related disorders, including birth defects, brain damage and other developmental problems in people whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, have until now been difficult for doctors to diagnose, since mothers with drinking problems are often unwilling to admit how much alcohol they consume, according to Dr. Gideon Koren, the founder and director of the Motherisk Program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. But Koren and his fellow researchers at Motherisk have discovered that fatty acid ethyl esters, a byproduct of alcohol, can be traced in stool samples taken from newborns in their first two days, which can indicate whether a baby is at risk of having alcohol-related disorders.
Postpartum Smoking Relapse Linked To Weight Worries
Two-thirds of women who quit smoking during pregnancy want to avoid cigarettes after delivery, but concern about weight may interfere, according to a new study.
A woman's feeling about her ability to control her weight affected her motivation to smoke, said lead author Michele Levine, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. This association went above and beyond factors including a woman's level of dependence on nicotine, whether she had a partner who smoked and whether she planned to breastfeed her baby.
Levine and her colleagues conducted the study to understand why so many women resume prior smoking habits after pregnancy. Levine said that although there's a lot of research on helping women to quit during pregnancy, something happens after the baby is born that leads women to go back to smoking.
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