Tag: baby health

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IVF method linked to size of babies

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The way in which embryos are prepared during in vitro fertilization may  influence the size of the baby that’s born, a new study from Finland suggests.

Embryos that spend long periods growing in culture (around five to six days) before being transferred to the mother’s womb are more likely to be born heavier than normal for their gestational age, compared to embryos that spend a shorter period in culture (two to three days), the study found. (Gestational age refers to how far along a pregnancy is.)

On the flip side, embryos that spend long periods in culture are less likely to be born small for their gestational age, the researchers said.

Previous studies have shown babies born as a result of  IVF treatment are at an increased risk for preterm birth and low birth weight. Factors related to the pregnancy, or to the IVF technique itself, may be responsible for the association. Few studies have looked at the effect of culture time on the baby’s birth weight, however.

Still, additional, larger studies are needed to confirm the new findings, the researchers said. Read full article.

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Strong Action Needed to Combat Toxic Policies

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{WOMENSENEWS}–Over bagels and coffee last month, Drs. Linda Giudice and Tracey Woodruff flashed graphs and charts for female activists and philanthropists assembled at an upscale San Francisco hotel.

The meeting was hosted by a nonprofit that was commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book on how pollution can affect human health.

Giudice and Woodruff had plenty to say about that. Using research they have compiled through their work at the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California in San Francisco, they discussed how bisphenol A in plastic, phthalates in makeup and other common chemicals can trigger health problems, including cancer in women and reproductive troubles in the children they bear. Read full article.

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US Preterm Birth Rate Shows Five Year Improvement

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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 13, 2012 – The U.S. preterm birth rate dropped for the fifth consecutive year in 2011 to 11.7 percent, the lowest in a decade, giving thousands more babies a healthy start in life and saving billions in health and social costs.

Four states – Vermont, Oregon, New Hampshire, and Maine earned an “A” on the March of Dimes 2012 Premature Birth Report Card as their preterm birth rates met the March of Dimes 9.6 percent goal. Although, the US preterm birth rate improved, it again earned a “C” on the Report Card.

“These results demonstrate that many premature births can be prevented with the right policies and bold leadership,” said March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse. “Our national progress in reducing premature births over the past five years shows that when infant health becomes a priority, babies benefit. We must implement proven interventions and accelerate our investment in new research to prevent preterm birth so one day every baby will get a healthy start in life.” Read full article.

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Cell Phone Exposure During Pregnancy Related to Fetal Brain Development Problems

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Avoiding cell phone exposure during pregnancy may be a necessity in protecting your unborn child, according to Yale School of Medicine.  According to a recent study, cell phone radiation may lead to brain development problems including hyperactivity in children amongst other things.

“This is the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior,” said senior author Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, professor and chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.

A control group case study using pregnant mice exposed to an active but muted and silenced cell phone revealed more “hyperactive and had reduced memory capacity” in their offspring. The study measured brain electrical activity in adult mice exposed to the radiation as fetuses against those not exposed. Dr. Taylor’s study reveals that the development of neurons in the fetus prefrontal cortex region is adversely effected, when exposed to cell phone use during pregnancy. Read full article.

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Why Fathers Really Matter

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MOTHERHOOD begins as a tempestuously physical experience but quickly becomes a political one. Once a woman’s pregnancy goes public, the storm moves outside. Don’t pile on the pounds! Your child will be obese. Don’t eat too little, or your baby will be born too small. For heaven’s sake, don’t drink alcohol. Oh, please: you can sip some wine now and again. And no matter how many contradictory things the experts say, don’t panic. Stress hormones wreak havoc on a baby’s budding nervous system. Read full article.

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IVF Embryos That Were Frozen May Result in Healthier Babies

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Women who become pregnant with previously frozen IVF embryos tend to have healthier babies and fewer complications than those who have fresh embryos implanted, research suggests.

Fertility doctors found that mothers had a lower risk of bleeding in pregnancies with embryos that had been frozen and thawed, and went on to have fewer pre-term and low birthweight babies.

Fertility clinics in Britain usually transfer fresh embryos into women several days after they have been given hormone injections that stimulate their ovaries to release eggs. These are extracted and fertilised before being implanted. Any embryos that are not used straight away can be frozen for use months or years later. Read full article.

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Danger, ‘In Vitro’ Fertilized Children May Be Born With Malformations

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(MADRID, Spain) – According to a recent study, infants conceived with the techniques used in fertility clinics are four times more likely to have certain birth defects and malformations than children that are naturally conceived.

Among the malformations that were detected are heart problems, cleft lips, cleft palates and abnormalities in the esophagus or rectum. These diseases appear once in every 700 births.

These dangers were increased by the use of assisted reproductive techniques such as fertilization ” in vitro”, which requires doctors to work with embryos and sperm outside the human body.

“I think it is important to consider the fact that there is a risk of birth defects,” says Jennita Reefhuis, epidemiologist from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Disease and author of a study published in the online journal “Human Reproduction”.

The doctor also said that although her study linked fertility procedures to birth defects, it was not able to neither prove the connection nor explain it. If the connection is real, it is unclear whether the procedures increase the risk of these malformations, or whether infertility itself increases these risks.

Moreover, Dr. James A. Grifo, director of the fertility clinic at the Medical Center of the University of New York, more research is needed to test these findings, since the study was only conducted on 281 women who had undergone the fertility treatment. Nevertheless, Dr. Grifo explains that the results are troubling, but a larger study must be conducted with a small group of patients. Read full article.

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Birth Defects Associated With Dad Jobs

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The occupation of future fathers may be associated to a higher risk of birth defects in their infants. A study published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine has revealed that the risk of birth defects in their offspring is higher if the father has a certain type of job.

Even though earlier studies have associated certain occupations with a higher birth defect risk in infants, they did not link certain birth defects to certain occupations, they rather placed the defects and occupations under one umbrella in order to achieve a larger sample size, leaving the results somewhat obscure.

The new study results were based on data that included the occupation of around 1,000 fathers from the ongoing US National Birth Defects Prevention Study, which investigates various potential risk factors for major birth defects in a large population sample. 
 
All men became to father to a child between 1997 and 2004 that had one or more birth defects, including defects amongst stillborn, aborted and live born babies. The team also surveyed slightly more than 4,000 parents of children with no congenial abnormalities telephone interviews.

Read full article.

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Single-Embryo IVF Cuts Risk to Baby: Study

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WEDNESDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) — Transplanting just one embryo during assisted reproduction treatments reduces the risk of preventable infant deaths that occur just before or shortly after birth, which is termed perinatal mortality, Australian researchers report.

“The number of embryos transferred per procedure is the major determinant of multiple pregnancy and multiple delivery, which contribute to an elevated risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, and its [health consequences],” said Elizabeth Sullivan, from the perinatal and reproductive epidemiology research unit of the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

“These are risks in addition to those already faced by women being treated for infertility,” Sullivan said in a news release from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

For the study, researchers examined more than 50,200 births resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. IVF involves removing an egg from a woman, placing it with sperm in a test tube, then transferring the resulting embryo to the woman’s womb. With ICSI, a form of IVF, sperm is injected directly into the egg.

The babies were born at more than 20 weeks’ gestation and/or weighed more than 14 ounces (400 grams) at birth. They found 813 perinatal deaths overall, which included 630 stillbirths and 183 deaths within the first 28 days of life.

Read full article.

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Prenatal genetic test offers more information, raises questions

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The latest advance in prenatal genetic testing purports to offer parents more detailed information than ever about the child they are expecting. But for some, the new answers could lead to another round of questions.

The technology allows doctors to detect small or subtle chromosomal changes in a fetus — such as missing or extra pieces of DNA — that could be missed by standard tests.

Most parents will get results confirming a normal pregnancy. But some will learn that their baby has a birth defect, a developmental problem or other medical condition, and in a small number of cases the test will detect things that no one knows quite how to interpret.

The information can allow parents to prepare for early intervention and treatment, but it also could raise questions about terminating the pregnancy or lead to nagging worry over uncertain results.

Read full article.