Health News

Zika in the US: What It Means for Babies
Pregnant women in the United States may face a higher risk for Zika virus than previously thought, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Good News for Kids Born by IVF
For couples struggling to conceive, here's some potentially comforting news about the safety of infertility treatments.
More Chemicals, More Time to Pregnancy
Researchers are learning more all the time about how chemicals in the environment affect our bodies. Much research focuses on children and conceiving a child.
Small Risks in Fertility Treatment
Difficulty in becoming pregnant leads some couples to seek fertility treatments. Any medical intervention involves risks and benefits that patients should consider.
Preemies' Later Pregnancies Higher Risk
Researchers already knew that women born underweight are at a higher risk for various health issues. But what about preemies who aren't underweight?
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.
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.
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...