Health News

Pregnant Athletes Can Keep Moving
There's no cause for alarm or plans to buy diapers after Maria Sharapova's stomach ache during the gold medal match at the Olympic games. The pain during her loss against Serena Williams in the London finals was just from a stomach virus, not a stork visit.
Older Moms' Kids Healthier, Smarter
Most people have heard that it can be more risky to have children after age 35. However, these concerns usually relate to birth complications and not to the children's development.
Parents Defy Gloomy Medical Predictions
Trisomy 13 and 18 are chromosomal disorders, like Down's syndrome. Some parents may feel devastated when they learn their baby has such a disorder, but the reality holds much more optimism.
When Did Your Child Engage in Sex?
A fear held by many parents is that their adolescent will become sexually active at an early age. Here's good news: Being an involved parent can make a difference, says new research.
Good News About US Children
Ready for some good news about kids today? An annual federal report on children's well-being in the US has a lot of it, from birth outcomes to school performance to deaths.
Less is More with Embryo Transfers
One consideration in undergoing in vitro fertilization ( IVF ) treatment to have a baby is how many embryos to transfer into a woman's womb at once. One? Two? Three?
Muscular Pregnant Women Have Healthier Placenta
Most women want a shapely, muscular body to enhance their looks. A new study reports that those firm, hard-won muscles also improve placental health in pregnant women.
Mom's Weight & Kids' Test Scores
Shedding pounds before getting pregnant can reduce a number of health risks - but it may also add a few points to your child's reading and math scores. A recent study has found a link between a mother's weight before pregnancy and their children's cognitive skills: obese women's children score lower on math and reading tests when they were 5 to 7 years old. Get to a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. Lead author Rika Tanda , a nursing doctoral candidate at Ohio State University, and colleagues wanted to investigate potential connections between a mother's pre-pregnancy ob...
Reduce Serious Birth Defects
Adding folic acid to tortillas and other products can reduce the risk for birth defects, says a new petition recently filed with a federal agency.  A petition filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) argues that fortifying corn masa flour products with the B vitamin folic acid can help reduce serious birth defects of the brain and spine. The groups behind the petition believe that mandating folic acid fortification of the products will especially help prevent birth defects in one high-risk group: Hispanic babies. Since 1998, when the FDA started regulating folic a...
Better Nurses Produce Healthier Preemies
Every pregnant mom wants to receive quality care from doctors and nurses. According to a new study, delivering your baby at a hospital that’s recognized for nursing excellence can impact your baby’s health. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing studied more than 72,000 very low-birth-weight ( VLBW ) infants (less than 3.3 pounds at birth).   They found that that babies born at hospitals recognized for nursing excellence ( RNE ) were less likely to suffer certain complications, compared to babies at hospitals that haven’t been recognized for nursing...