Pregnancy

• Birth-Labor
• Contaminants
• Depression and Postpartum Depression
• General Information
• Guidelines
• Internet Sites
• Nutrition and Supplements
• Pre-Eclampsia
• Risks - Allergies, Asthma, and Rhinitis
• Risks - General

REVIEW our Selected Pregnancy Articles in 2006. Stay informed and updated!

If you have any questions regarding our Search Reports, please contact us at info@infomedsearch.com.

CONTINUE YOUR INFOMEDSEARCH RESEARCH with our previous InfoMedLinks. Start with InfoMedLinks 2006.

Pregnancy

Risks

NEWS:

Age and stress associated with pregnancy loss "A UK population-based study of risk factors for first-trimester miscarriage confirms the importance of established risk factors, such as maternal age, and finds no support for popular beliefs about the effects of caffeine and working during pregnancy. In the February issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr. Noreen Maconochie and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, note that the reason for most miscarriages is not wholly understood, and many risk factors remain controversial or unconfirmed. Well-established risk factors for miscarriage include older maternal age and a history of miscarriage and infertility. Several behavioral and social risk factors have been reported to increase the risk of miscarriage, but evidence is scant. "

Alcohol in pregnancy has long-lasting impact "The harmful effects of prenatal alcohol exposure persist into young adulthood, and lead to limited employment opportunities and ability to live independently, research shows."

Ambient Air Pollution and Low Birth Weight in Connecticut and Massachusetts "Conclusions: Results indicate that exposure to air pollution, even at low levels, may increase risk of low birth weight, particularly for some segments of the population."

Black Moms Face Triple the Risk of 'Preemie' Birth "Black women are three times more likely than white women to deliver their babies prematurely, a new study reveals. Even worse, they are four times more likely to give birth extremely prematurely -- between 20 to 28 weeks gestation. Genetics are the most likely reason for the phenomenon, the study's lead researcher said. "

Chemical Linked to Birth Defects - Bisphenol A - Found at Unsafe Levels in Canned Food "In the most comprehensive U.S. tests for an industrial chemical used to line cans of foods, an independent laboratory found a compound linked to birth defects in more than half of the samples of canned fruit, vegetables, soda, and baby formula from supermarket shelves, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) report released today."

Common Drug For Stopping Preterm Labor May Be Harmful For Babies

Docs want pregnancy weight guidelines lowered "An influential U.S. medical panel is considering changes to the medical guidelines for how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy. It's acting on the insistence of doctors who say heavy moms are gaining too much weight and the current recommendations do not factor in the country's obesity epidemic. Carrying too much weight while pregnant increases the risk of complications for mother and baby, including birth defects, labor and delivery problems, fetal death and delivery of large babies, according to the March of Dimes. "

Drinking While Pregnant May Alter Child's Brain " 'Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause damage to the brain that results in significant problems with regulating behavior and optimal thinking and learning,' Fryer said."

Eat a lot of beef? It may affect your son’s sperm "U.S. women who eat a lot of beef while pregnant give birth to sons who grow up to have low sperm counts, researchers reported Tuesday. They believe pesticides, hormones or contaminants in cattle feed may be to blame. Chemicals can build up in the fat of animals that eat contaminated feed or grass, and cattle are routinely given hormones to boost their growth. "

Epilepsy Drug Can Increase Risk for Newborns, Study Says "Toddlers who had been exposed in the womb to the drug Depakote, from Abbott Laboratories, scored seven to eight points lower on I.Q. tests at age 2 than those whose mothers had been taking other epilepsy drugs while pregnant, the study found. They were twice as likely to score in the range associated with mental retardation, according to the authors, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston."

Folate Status in Women of Childbearing Age, by Race/Ethnicity --- United States, 1999--2000, 2001--2002, and 2003--2004 "The results of these comparisons indicated that median serum folate concentrations among nonpregnant women of childbearing age decreased 16% from 1999--2000 through 2003--2004, and RBC folate concentrations decreased 8%. All women of childbearing age who are capable of becoming pregnant should consume 400 µg of folic acid daily to reduce the occurrence of NTD-affected pregnancies (2)."

General Practitioners and Women Still Not Getting Valproate Message "In utero exposure to the anticonvulsant drug valproate increases the risk for poor cognitive outcomes and anatomical malformations compared with the 3 other most commonly used anticonvulsant medications. However, with a 28% rise in US sales last year, it appears general practitioners (GPs) and women of childbearing potential still are not getting the message, a leading neurologist says."

Junk food in pregnancy may spur overeating in kids "Overindulging in high-calorie, sugary, fatty and salty treats during pregnancy and lactation might produce a child with a fondness for junk food, the results of an animal study suggest. British scientists found that pregnant or lactating rats that ate a diet full of junk-food favorites -- like doughnuts, chocolate and potato chips -- gave birth to pups with a penchant for overeating the same types of foods. The offspring were not, however, prone to overeating their normal, well-balanced animal chow. The findings, say researchers, suggest that too much junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding may affect early development of taste preferences and appetite control."

Maternal Smoking Contributes to Placental Abruption Risk "Smoking during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of placental abruption, according to a report in the August 1st issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology."

MDs Don't Issue Pregnancy, Drugs Warning "Doctors aren't doing a very good job of warning young women to avoid getting pregnant when they're taking prescription drugs that can cause birth defects, a new study suggests. Nearly half of the women taking the medicines didn't get counseling from their doctor about using contraceptives or other birth control measures, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center researchers found in a study of nearly 500,000 women. "

Miscarriage risk for mom if her parents smoked "Women who were exposed to their parents’ smoking as children may have a higher likelihood of suffering a miscarriage, new research suggests. In a study of nearly 2,200 non-smoking pregnant women, researchers found that those exposed to their parents’ secondhand smoke during childhood were 80 percent more likely to have a miscarriage compared with women whose parents didn’t smoke. The findings appear in the American Journal of Epidemiology. "

Mom's gum disease ups risk of premature birth "Pregnant women with periodontal (gum) disease are at increased risk for delivering their infants prematurely, according to a pooled analysis of 17 studies involving 7,151 women, 1,056 of whom delivered their infants preterm or at a low birth weight."

New alarm over toxic risks to fetuses "Leading environmental scientists warned Thursday that exposure to common chemicals makes babies more likely to develop health problems later in life, including diabetes, attention deficit disorders, prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders and even obesity."

New findings back smoking-stillbirth link "A large study that followed women through their first and second consecutive pregnancy provides additional evidence of a direct link between smoking and increased risk of stillbirth. Compared with women who didn't smoking during either pregnancy, the investigators found that those who smoked during their first but not their second pregnancy did not have an increased risk of stillbirth. However, women who smoked during both consecutive pregnancies had a 35 percent higher risk of stillbirth than nonsmokers. "

NIDA: Supported Study Shows Significant Association between Smoking, Mental Disorders in Pregnant Women "Encouraging women to quit smoking before they become pregnant is important to the health of the fetus, in addition to improving the health of the mother. Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of having infants with low birth weight and their children face an increased risk for learning and behavioral problems."

Offspring of Obese Mothers May Have an Increased Risk for Certain Birth Defects "Compared with nonobese mothers, obese mothers have an increased risk of having children with spina bifida, heart defects, and other birth defects, according to the results of a study reported in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine."

Pesticide Exposure Increases Gestational Diabetes Risk "First-trimester exposure to agricultural pesticides increases the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a report in the March issue of Diabetes Care."

Preterm Delivery and Maternal Mercury Intake

Repeat Steroids To Premature Infants Linked To Cerebral Palsy, Study Suggests " Repeated courses of a drug that is used to improve the survival of unborn premature babies also may increase the risk of cerebral palsy in those children, according to results from a multi-center study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and led by Ronald Wapner, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center and attending obstetrician and gynecologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia."

Safety of codeine during breastfeeding: fatal morphine poisoning in the breastfed neonate of a mother prescribed codeine.

Scientists Discover How Maternal Smoking Can Cause Cleft Lip and Palate

Secondhand smoke may affect brain of fetus "Those troubles include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), aggressive behavior, defiance and a behavior pattern called conduct disorder, which can include truancy, fighting, failing in school, substance abuse, theft and property destruction."

Study Links Blood Sugar to Newborn Risks "The higher a pregnant woman's level of blood sugar, the greater the risk to her newborn -- whether the mother has diabetes or not, the largest study on the problem suggests. The findings released Friday may lead to more women being diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy and given stricter diet advice or medication to lower blood sugar."

Unexpected Pregnancy Risk Factors Identified

Urinary Tract Infection May Raise Birth Defect Risk "Pregnant women who had a urinary tract infection (UTI) from one month before conception through the first trimester of pregnancy were 70 percent more likely than women without UTI to have a baby with a defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (underdeveloped left side of the heart), a U.S. study finds."

ARTICLES:

Pregnant physicians and infectious disease risk.

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Ambient Air Pollution and Low Birth Weight in Connecticut and Massachusetts (EHP 2007) "Conclusions: Results indicate that exposure to air pollution, even at low levels, may increase risk of low birth weight, particularly for some segments of the population."

Antibiotics for treating bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy. (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007)

Are clinical symptoms more predictive than laboratory parameters for adverse maternal outcome in HELLP syndrome? (Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2007) "Conclusions. Clinical symptoms, such as headache, visual changes, epigastric pain and nausea-vomiting, are more predictive than laboratory parameters for adverse maternal outcomes."

Association of Arsenic Exposure during Pregnancy with Fetal Loss and Infant Death: A Cohort Study in Bangladesh. (Am J Epidemiol. 2007) "There was a significant dose response of arsenic exposure to risk of infant death (p = 0.02). Women of reproductive age should urgently be prioritized for mitigation activities where drinking water is contaminated by arsenic."

Case Report: Three Farmworkers Who Gave Birth to Infants with Birth Defects Closely Grouped in Time and Place—Florida and North Carolina, 2004–2005 (Environmental Health Perspectives 2007)

Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Imprinting: The Ongoing Effects of Maternal Hyperglycemia (Diabetes Care 2007) "CONCLUSIONS---: Our results in a multi-ethnic US population suggest that increasing hyperglycemia in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. More research is needed to determine if treatment of GDM may be a modifiable risk factor for childhood obesity."

Dietary calcium supplementation to lower blood lead levels in pregnancy and lactation. (J Nutr Biochem. 2007) "Maternal dietary calcium supplementation has been associated with reductions in lead levels in both animal and human studies when administered during pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, supplementation of the maternal diet with calcium may represent an important secondary prevention strategy aimed not only at reducing circulating levels of lead in the mother but also at reducing lead exposure to the developing fetus and nursing infant."

Dose–Response Relationship of Prenatal Mercury Exposure and IQ: An Integrative Analysis of Epidemiologic Data (EHP 2007) "Results: We find a central estimate of –0.18 IQ points (95% confidence interval, –0.378 to –0.009) for each parts per million increase of maternal hair mercury, similar to the estimates for both the Faroe Islands and Seychelles studies, and lower in magnitude than the estimate for the New Zealand study."

Early Exposure to General Anesthesia Causes Significant Neuronal Deletion in the Developing Rat Brain. (Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007) “Frequent exposure of children to general anesthesia is common practice in modern medicine. Although previously unrecognized, recent in vitro and in vivo animal studies suggest that exposure to clinically relevant general anesthetics at the peak of brain development could be detrimental to immature mammalian neurons, as demonstrated by massive and widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration.”

Effect of Body Mass Index on pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous women delivering singleton babies. (BMC Public Health. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Increasing BMI is associated with increased incidence of pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, macrosomia, induction of labour and caesarean delivery; while underweight women had better pregnancy outcomes than women with normal BMI."

Effects of light ethanol consumption during pregnancy: increased frequency of minor anomalies in the newborn and altered contractility of umbilical cord artery. (Pediatr Res. 2007) "In conclusion, even light drinking should be considered a risk during pregnancy."

Effects of maternal smoking in pregnancy on prenatal brain development. The Generation R Study (European Journal of Neuroscience 2007) "In conclusion, continuing to smoke during pregnancy leads to reduced growth of the foetal head."

Effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on pregnancy outcomes. (J Affect Disord. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a possible association between PTSD and preterm delivery. Coupled with the association found between LBW and a depressive disorder, these results support the utility of screening for mental health disorders in pregnancy."

Elevated risks of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes with increasing maternal age. (Hum Reprod. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS Increasing maternal age is associated with significantly elevated risks for pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes, which vary by parity."

Evaluation of psychopathological conditions in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. (Pediatrics. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that fetal alcohol exposure should be considered a possible factor in the pathogenesis of childhood psychiatric disorders. These data provide clinically relevant information about the mental health problems that children with fetal alcohol exposure are likely to face."

Exposure to Hexachlorobenzene during Pregnancy and Children's Social Behavior at 4 Years of Age. (Environ Health Perspect. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal exposure to current concentrations of HCB in Spain is associated with a decrease in the behavioral competence at preschool ages. These results should be considered when evaluating the potential neurotoxicologic effects of HCB."

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in young adulthood. (J Pediatr. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: The devastating effects of intrauterine exposure to alcohol persist into early adulthood and severely limit careers and independent living."

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: understanding the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and supporting students. (J Sch Health. 2007) "Results: Prenatal alcohol exposure can result in a broad range of negative developmental consequences, including deficits in cognitive and academic functioning, psychological disorders, behavioral problems, and difficulties with independent living. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure are at risk for a spectrum of difficulties at school."

Fish consumption in pregnancy, cord blood mercury level and cognitive and psychomotor development of infants followed over the first three years of life Krakow epidemiologic study. (Environ Int. 2007) "RESULTS: Self-reported weekly amount of fish consumption during the first two trimesters of pregnancy correlated positively with umbilical cord mercury concentrations … "

Increased risk of preterm birth among non- smoking, non- alcohol drinking women with maternal periodontitis. (Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2007) "These findings suggest that periodontitis may increase the risk of preterm delivery even among women who do not smoke or drink."

Inflammation and Dyslipidemia Related to Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth. (Am J Epidemiol. 2007)

Influence of smoking on developing cochlea Does smoking during pregnancy affect the amplitudes of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in newborns? (Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2007) "CONCLUSION: In utero, exposure to tobacco smoking seems to have a small impact on outer hair cells. These effects seem to be equally true for all exposed newborns, regardless of the degree of exposure. Further studies are needed in order to establish a potential negative effect of maternal smoking on the neonate's hearing acuity."

Is High Consumption of Fatty Fish during Pregnancy a Risk Factor for Fetal Growth Retardation? A Study of 44,824 Danish Pregnant Women. (Am J Epidemiol. 2007) "These increases in risk were followed by small decreases in average values for these growth measures. Furthermore, the inverse association for total fish consumption could be explained by consumption of fatty fish, while no association was found for lean fish. These results indicate that consumption of fatty fish, a known route of exposure to persistent organic pollutants, could be associated with reduced fetal growth."

Is Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoking a Cause of Poor Semen Quality? A Follow-up Study (American Journal of Epidemiology 2007) "These results indicate that prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke may have an adverse effect on semen quality and, if these associations are causal, they could explain some of the reported differences between populations and secular changes in semen quality."

Long-term consequences of maternal smoking and developmental chronic nicotine exposure. (Front Biosci. 2008)

Management of obesity in pregnancy. (Obstet Gynecol. 2007) "Maternal pregravid obesity is a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes during pregnancy. In early pregnancy there is an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and congenital anomalies. In later gestation maternal metabolic manifestations of the metabolic syndrome, such as gestational hypertensive disorders and diabetes, become clinically recognized because of the increased insulin resistance in obese compared with nonobese women. In women with pregestational glucose intolerance, hypertension, central obesity, and lipid disorders, the physiologic changes in pregnancy increase the risk of problems previously not routinely encountered during pregnancy. These include chronic cardiac dysfunction, proteinuria, sleep apnea, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. At parturition the obese patient is at an increased risk of cesarean delivery and associated complications of anesthesia, wound disruption, infection, and deep venous thrombophlebitis. For the fetus there are short-term risks of fetal macrosomia, more specifically obesity, and long-term risks of adolescent components of the metabolic syndrome."

Maternal acute respiratory infectious diseases during pregnancy and birth outcomes. (Eur J Epidemiol. 2007) "In conclusion, there was an obvious correlation between severity of ARID in pregnant women and rate of preterm births."

Maternal adiposity prior to pregnancy is associated with ADHD symptoms in offspring: evidence from three prospective pregnancy cohorts. (Int J Obes (Lond). 2007) "Children of women who were both overweight and gained a large amount of weight during gestation had a 2-fold risk of ADHD symptoms (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.19, 3.72) compared to normal-weight women. … Conclusions:We show for the first time that pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with ADHD symptoms in children. Our results are of public health significance if the associations are causal and will then add ADHD symptoms in offspring to the list of deleterious outcomes related to overweight and obesity in the prenatal period."

Maternal Alcohol Drinking During Pregnancy Linked to Conduct Problems in Children "Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with increased conduct problems in offspring, independent of genetic factors."

Maternal and obstetric complications of pregnancy are associated with increasing gestational age at term. (Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007) "CONCLUSION: We found that the risk of maternal peripartum complications increase as pregnancy progresses beyond 40 weeks of gestation. Management of pregnancies that progress past their EDC should include counseling regarding the risks of increasing gestational age."

Maternal Arsenic Exposure Associated With Low Birth Weight in Bangladesh. (J Occup Environ Med. 2007)

Maternal Prenatal Substance Use and Behavior Problems among Children in the U.S. (J Ment Health Policy Econ. 2007)

Maternal Smoking and Fetal Growth Characteristics in Different Periods of Pregnancy: The Generation R Study. (Am J Epidemiol. 2007) "The authors concluded that maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with reduced growth in fetal head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length. The larger effect on femur length suggests that smoking during pregnancy affects primarily peripheral tissues."

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and behaviour problems in a birth cohort of 2-year-old Pacific children in New Zealand. (Early Hum Dev. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS:: Findings indicate there are significant effects of prenatal tobacco exposure on problem behaviour among young children. Smoking is a modifiable factor worthy of increased early preventive efforts."

Maternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with cholesterol development in the offspring: A 27-years follow-up study. (Atherosclerosis. 2007) "CONCLUSION: This study suggests for the first time that maternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with an increased rise in total cholesterol levels and a tendency towards an adverse lipoprotein profile in the offspring."

Maternal smoking is associated with increased infant oxidative stress at 3 months of age. (Thorax. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Although this study does not separate the pre- and postnatal effects of smoking, these findings indicate that environmental tobacco smoke in the early postnatal period adversely effects pro- oxidative/antioxidative status within weeks of life in very early infancy."

Maternal smoking, alcohol drinking, and febrile convulsion. (Seizure. 2007) "CONCLUSION: These results suggest that children of mothers who both smoke and drink alcohol during pregnancy may have a higher risk for febrile convulsions."

Maternal weigh gain during pregnancy and overweight in Portuguese children (International Journal of Obesity (2007)) " Conclusion: Large maternal weight gain during pregnancy ( 16 kg) was significantly associated with higher risk of overweight in Portuguese children. "

[Optic neuropathy induced by prenatal drug or alcohol exposure.] (Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol. 2007) " CONCLUSIONS: Psychostimulant and alcohol exposure alters the development of the retina and optic nerve …"

Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure and Neurodevelopment in Young Mexican-American Children (Environmental Health Perspectives 2007) "Conclusions: We report adverse associations of prenatal DAPs with mental development and pervasive developmental problems at 24 months of age. Results should be interpreted with caution given the observed positive relationship with postnatal DAPs."

Periodontal health in mothers of preterm and term infants. (Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2007) "Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, there is a noticeable relationship between periodontal health and duration of pregnancy; periodontal disease could be a risk factor for preterm labor. Oral hygiene is strongly recommended to be included in prenatal care."

Pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring of newer antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy and the puerperium. (Clin Pharmacokinet. 2007)

Postterm Delivery and Risk for Epilepsy in Childhood (PEDIATRICS 2007) "CONCLUSIONS. Prolonged gestation is a risk factor for early epilepsy; the added increase in risk for instrument-assisted and cesarean deliveries could be attributable to factors that are related to both birth complications and epilepsy."

Pregnancy outcome of women exposed to azathioprine during pregnancy. (Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that AZP (50-100 mg/day) does not triple the rate of birth defects; however, it is associated with lower birth weight, gestational age, and prematurity. Larger studies are needed to confirm these observations."

Pregnancy outcomes in women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis: a population-based cohort study in Washington State. (Sex Transm Infect. 2007) "CONCLUSION: This study suggests that Chlamydia trachomatis is associated with increased risk of preterm delivery and premature rupture of membranes, but not infant death and low birth weight. Routine screening and opportune treatment for Chlamydia trachomatis should be considered a necessary part of prenatal care to reduce these adverse pregnancy outcomes."

Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Large Community-Based Study From Northern California. (Gastroenterology. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Women with IBD are more likely to have an adverse outcome related to pregnancy. Disease activity and medical treatment did not predict adverse outcomes in a large, nonreferral population."

Prenatal smoking exposure and psychiatric symptoms in adolescence. (Acta Paediatr. 2007) "Thus, smoking in pregnancy may be a marker for increased risk of psychiatric symptoms in the offspring."

Prenatal smoking exposure, low birth weight, and disruptive behavior disorders. (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007)

Prepregnancy Obesity as a Risk Factor for Structural Birth Defects (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007) "Results Mothers of offspring with spina bifida, heart defects, anorectal atresia, hypospadias, limb reduction defects, diaphragmatic hernia, and omphalocele were significantly more likely to be obese than mothers of controls, with odds ratios ranging between 1.33 and 2.10. Mothers of offspring with gastroschisis were significantly less likely to be obese than mothers of controls."

Preterm low birth weights associated with periodontal disease in the Fiji Islands. (Int Dent J. 2007)

Risk factors for first trimester miscarriage--results from a UK-population-based case-control study. (BJOG. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that advice to encourage a healthy diet, reduce stress and promote emotional wellbeing might help women in early pregnancy (or planning a pregnancy) reduce their risk of miscarriage. Findings of increased risk associated with previous termination, stress, change of partner and low pre-pregnancy weight are noteworthy, and we recommend further work to confirm these findings in other study populations."

Risk of preterm delivery in relation to vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy. (Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2007) "CONCLUSION: Vaginal bleeding, particularly bleeding that persists across the first two trimesters, is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery."

Risks of congenital malformations and perinatal events among infants exposed to antidepressant medications during pregnancy. (Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2007) "Infants exposed to antidepressants were at increased risk for preterm delivery. Both SSRIs and TCAs used during the third trimester appeared to increase the risk for perinatal complications and their use should be managed carefully among pregnant women with depression."

Screening for gestational diabetes: The effect of varying blood glucose definitions in the prediction of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. (Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2007) "Conclusions: The risk of adverse maternal and infant pregnancy outcomes increases with increasing levels of glucose impairment despite treatment."

Smoking during teenage pregnancies: Effects on behavioral problems in offspring. (Nicotine Tob Res. 2007) "Smoking during pregnancy among adolescents is a significant predictor of increased activity and attention problems in their offspring after controlling for covariates in the prenatal and current environments."

Smoking during Pregnancy Affects Speech-Processing Ability in Newborn Infants (EHP 2007) "Conclusions: Our findings indicate that prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke in otherwise healthy babies is linked with significant changes in brain physiology associated with basic perceptual skills that could place the infant at risk for later developmental problems."

Smoking during pregnancy: Postnatal effects on arousal and attentional brain systems. (Neurotoxicology. 2007)

Teratogenicity and anticonvulsants: lessons from neurology to psychiatry. (J Clin Psychiatry. 2007)

Teratogenicity risk of antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy. (Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2007)

The association between maternal smoking in pregnancy, other early life characteristics and childhood vision: the twins eye study in tasmania. (Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2007) “Conclusions: Antenatal smoking was independently associated with poor stereovision and the presence of esotropia. Poor stereoacuity may be associated with delayed age at first crawling or walking.”

The effects of valproate exposure in utero on behavior and the need for educational support in school-aged children (Epilepsy & Behavior 2007)

The influence of maternal smoking habits on the risk of subsequent stillbirth: is there a causal relation? (BJOG. 2007) "CONCLUSION: The result supports that maternal smoking during pregnancy is causally associated with stillbirth risk. Smoking is a preventable cause of stillbirth, and smoking interventions is an important issue in antenatal care."

Waist circumference in the prediction of obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes. (Cad Saude Publica. 2007)

What do clinical users know regarding safety of ultrasound during pregnancy? (J Ultrasound Med. 2007) "CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound end users are poorly informed regarding safety issues during pregnancy. Further efforts in the realm of education and training are needed to improve end user knowledge about the acoustic output of the machines and safety issues."

Go to the top