First global analysis follows discovery of toxic pollution particles in lungs and brains of foetuses
Almost a million stillbirths a year can be attributed to air pollution, according to the first global study.
The research estimated that almost half of stillbirths could be linked to exposure to pollution particles smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), mostly produced from the burning of fossil fuels.
Continue reading...Every baby should be wanted, and forcing a woman to carry an unwanted foetus to term is hardly the best start, says Ruth Brandon
Re your article (Woman with Down’s syndrome loses court of appeal abortion law case, 25 November), in 1981, I aborted a foetus with Down’s syndrome at 20 weeks. At that stage, the procedure involves an induced birth. It was pretty harrowing, but was notable for the kindness of the hospital staff. I have never regretted my decision.
At that time, amniocentesis, in which Down’s and other birth defects can be picked up from a sample of amniotic fluid, was a relatively new procedure. It involves a risk of miscarriage, but I would not have risked pregnancy without it. I was 38 and well aware of the increased incidence of Down’s syndrome in older mothers. For me, amniocentesis, with the possibilities of choice that it granted, was one of the world-changing freedoms for women that began with the contraceptive pill.
Continue reading...Analysis challenges WHO health guidance on amount of time women should delay after miscarriage or abortion
Women don’t need to wait for at least six months before trying for another baby after a miscarriage or abortion, an analysis of data suggests, challenging World Health Organization guidance.
The research was also at odds with WHO advice that women should delay at least 24 months after a live birth before becoming pregnant again, to avoid complications in the next pregnancy.
Continue reading...Analysis shows significant benefits with no major side-effects for mother or baby but more trials needed ‘to confirm results’
Acupuncture can significantly relieve the lower back or pelvic pain frequently experienced by pregnant women, according to a new global data analysis of the available evidence.
There were no observable major side effects for babies whose mothers opted for the procedure, the findings suggest, although only a few of the studies evaluated outcomes. The meta analysis was published in the journal BMJ Open.
Continue reading...After scientists cautioned against egg freezing as an ‘insurance policy’, we hear what drives women to do it
At 42, Caroline, a financial analyst from Manchester, assumed she had left it too late to look into egg freezing.
“The people at the fertility clinic did tell me chances of success weren’t high – under 5% if I remember correctly. So, I was prepared for that,” Caroline, who was single at the time, says. “I wasn’t even 100% sure I wanted children at all at that point, but this was my last and only chance to have children that are biologically related to me, so I went for it anyway.”
Continue reading...Women in UK three times more likely to die around the time of pregnancy than those in Norway
Mothers in the UK are three times more likely to die around the time of pregnancy compared with those in Norway, according to an international analysis of data.
Although maternal mortality is at historic lows in high-income countries, it remains an important indicator of quality of care, health system performance and, more specifically, maternal care. The comparison of maternal mortality rates in eight European countries was published in the BMJ.
Continue reading...Premature or tiny newborns should go directly into sling worn by caregiver where possible, states latest advice
Premature and low birth-weight babies should be placed in immediate contact with their caregivers’ skin after birth to improve their health outcomes and chances of survival, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The guidelines mark a significant change from earlier guidance, and will apply to all infants born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or under 2.5kg (5.5lb) in weight – apart from those needing breathing support, mechanical ventilation or who are in shock.
Continue reading...Study leader says many women who die have multiple disadvantages, with suicide now the main direct cause of death
The number of women dying in pregnancy or shortly after giving birth in the UK has risen sharply, with evidence of widening health inequalities, a major report has found.
The report, MBRRACE Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care, found that 229 women died during pregnancy or up to six weeks after in 2018-20, a 19% increase on previous years once Covid deaths were excluded. It also detailed the care of 289 women who had died up to a year after pregnancy in the same period.
Continue reading...Study finds link between smoke-related deaths and eclampsia, helping explain worse maternal health
Air pollution from cooking indoors over a fire of wood or charcoal could have life-threatening consequences for some pregnant women, according to a new study.
Researchers at King’s College London found “a significantly positive correlation” between deaths attributable to toxic smoke from cooking and heating and the rate of eclampsia, a rare condition in pregnancy where high blood pressure results in life-threatening seizures. Women with pre-eclampsia, characterised by high blood pressure or hypertension, are at significantly greater risk in pregnancy if they are cooking over an open fire.
Continue reading...Exclusive: MHRA grants innovation passport to drug that could prevent women from developing condition
A new pill that could prevent pre-eclampsia has become the first pregnancy drug to be fast-tracked for development by the UK’s drug regulator.
Scientists at MirZyme Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, believe they have developed a drug that when given to women from 20 weeks of pregnancy could stop them developing the condition.
Continue reading...I know from experience how hard the balancing act can be. It’s in organisations’ interests to provide proper support
As a sociologist of reproduction who has spent the last two decades exploring the fertility journeys of people struggling to conceive, I know just how much infertility can wreak havoc on a person’s life. This week, a new study published by Fertility Network UK, has highlighted the many ways in which the condition and its associated treatment can have a detrimental impact on not only a patient’s mental health and their relationships, but also their work life.
Disturbingly, 40% of respondents said they experienced suicidal feelings and 83% felt sad, frustrated and worried often or all of the time. “Fertility patients encounter a perfect storm,” Gwenda Burns, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, notes, and often can’t access the support they need.
Zeynep Gurtin is a lecturer at UCL, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and a fertility consultant
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