A new study has discovered the first link between sugary soda drinks and the risk of diabetes.
According to a study found in Diabetes Care, women who drink more than five ounces of sugar-sweetened cola a week before becoming pregnant significantly increase their risk of developing the disease during a pregnancy.
The study found that women who consumed five soda servings a week were likely to develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), or a glucose intolerance that begins during pregnancy. Read the rest of this entry »
Worries about the economy have led many American women to think twice about having a baby, a survey released on Wednesday found, with nearly half of those surveyed saying they want to delay pregnancy or limit the number of children they have.
At the same time, many women said they were skimping on birth control, switching to a cheaper method or even going without as a way of saving money, according to the survey by researchers at the not-for-profit Alan Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual and reproductive health.
“The recession has put many women — including middle-class women who are having trouble making ends meet — in an untenable situation,” Dr. Sharon Camp, Guttmacher’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Taking the oral contraceptive pill does not affect a woman’s ability to fall pregnant after she goes off it, with four in five women falling pregnant within a year, a study has found.
German researchers said neither the length of time the pill was taken nor the type of hormones used had a bearing on pregnancy rates after contraceptive use.
The results, published in the US journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, form part of the European Active Surveillance Study on Oral Contraceptives, which followed almost 60,000 European women for five years, Read the rest of this entry »
Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.
Those hoping to change that are meeting on September 9, the ninth day of the ninth month, for a forum dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of drinking while pregnant and the plight of children and families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
State legislators, health care professionals, parents, social workers and drug prevention and treatment specialists are coming together at Prairie State College in Chicago to mark international FASD Awareness Day. Read the rest of this entry »
Following a report by the Scottish Spina Bifida Association (SSBA) that showed 15 babies have been born with the condition in Scotland since January, double the usual figure, sexually active women of childbearing age are being urged to take supplements of folic acid, even if they are not planning to have children, because research suggests that in many cases it is taken too late.
Dr Margo Whiteford, Chair of the Scottish Spina Bifida Association, who is also a consultant geneticist, told BBC News Scotland that the organization has received as many contacts from families in the first half of 2009 as they would expect for the whole year.
She said they couldn’t tell if this was because of folic acid, but there is evidence that most women don’t take enough folic acid and they don’t take it at the right time. Read the rest of this entry »
