Tag: baby health

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Saving Mothers, Giving Life

Maternal, newborn and child health

US and Norway invest in new partnership: Saving Mothers, Giving Life

1 JUNE 2012 | OSLO, NORWAY — The US government has joined Merck for Mothers, Every Mother Counts, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a new initiative to reduce maternal mortality. The announcement took place at a global health conference on Friday, 1 June sponsored by the Norwegian government, entitled “A World in Transition: Charting a New Path in Global Health.” US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the US government would commit $75 million to the “Saving Mothers, Giving Life” partnership. Norway pledged another roughly $80 million to the initiative.

In her keynote speech, Secretary Clinton underscored the need to look to maternal health as a barometer for measuring the strength of healthcare systems around the world. “When a woman in labor experiences complications, it takes a strong system to keep her alive,” she said. “It not only takes skilled doctors, midwives, and nurses, it takes reliable transportation, well-equipped clinics and hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Where these elements are in place, more often than not women will survive childbirth. When they aren’t, more often than not they die or suffer life-changing, traumatic injuries.”

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre, hosted the conference where the Mrs Clinton was keynote speaker. There was also be a panel discussion over various aspects of sustainability with Tamar Manuelyan Atinc, Vice President, World Bank; Haja Zainab Bangura, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone and Professor K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India.

Prior to the seminar Norad facilitated four workshops on Economic Benefits of Investing in Women’s Health; Saving Mothers, Giving Lives; Addressing conflict-related sexual violence; and Innovation – Scaling Mobile-Based Solutions and Health Information Systems. A special Commentary by Health Advisor to the Norwegian President, Dr Tore Godal, was published in The Lancet.

Accelerating the global response to reduce maternal mortality

“The meeting of Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton at the Global Health in Transition conference in Oslo, Norway, on June 1, 2012 advances global health as an essential component of foreign policy. The meeting of these two senior diplomats along with other government leaders and health professionals from around the world reaffirms global health as a vital matter of state…”

Link to The Lancet full Commentary text by Dr Godal

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IVF Related Birth Defects May Originate with Moms not Treatment

ASRM News and Research

Babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a higher risk of birth defects than those conceived naturally, but the increased risk may stem from the parents rather than the treatment itself, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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ASRM/SART Comment on NEJM Article on Increased Risk of Birth Defects Following IVF

ASRM News and Research

Statement Attributable to Linda Giudice, MD, PhD, President-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM): “This study confirms what has been known for quite some time: Patients who need medical assistance to conceive have a somewhat higher risk of having children with birth defects than parents able to conceive on their own.  Patients considering medically assisted conception have been, and should continue to be, counseled on those risks prior to undergoing any treatment.”

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Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth

Maternal, newborn and child health

2 MAY 2012 | NEW YORK – Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.

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Calling for RMNCH action at G8/G20

Maternal, newborn and child health

With just one month until President Barack Obama hosts G8 leaders at Camp David, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health is joining other leading development organizations in a social media campaign to encourage political will towards RMNCH among a number of key issues at this high level meeting.

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Preconception Health

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Getting pregnant and carrying a pregnancy to term is easiest when a woman’s overall health is optimized through appropriate self care. Here are the 5 main factors women can control to increase their fertility:

 

 

Nutrition
Eating a balanced diet promotes ideal health. In general, whole foods are the best choice. Women who avoid certain food groups due to dietary restrictions for health or other reasons may wish to consult with a nutritionist to ensure that they are still getting all the nutrients their body needs. Supplements such as prenatal rich in folic acid are recommended for women who want to get pregnant.
 
Harmful Substances
Women who smoke should stop as soon as possible since smoking delays the time to conception and can lead to early onset of infertility. Women who consume alcohol or caffeine in substantial quantities should cut back or cease using these substances to increase their overall wellbeing and lower the chance of miscarriage.
 
Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy body weight increases the chances of getting pregnant. It can also decrease the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and gestational diabetes. Eating a moderate amount of nutritious food and exercising regularly is the best way to achieve sustainable weight loss and prepare for pregnancy.
 
Stress Reduction
High levels of chronic stress affect hormone levels in the body and may interfere with fertility. There are a variety of relaxation techniques that can help with stress reduction including yoga, acupuncture, and acupuncture massage. In general, simply taking time out to relax is a good course of action for relieving stress in preparation for getting pregnant.
 
Frequency and Timing of Intercourse
An egg is viable for less than 24 hours after ovulation. This means there is a narrow window of opportunity for fertilization. Couples who are trying to conceive should have sex daily or every other day during the 7 day time period ending on the day of ovulation.
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New biorepository to help uncover mysteries of pregnancy and childbirth

Maternal, newborn and child health

Laying a foundation for discoveries that will improve maternal, newborn and child health everywhere, PMNCH member the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) has created the world’s first ever standardized, widely accessible repository of high-quality specimens linked to data from diverse populations of pregnant women.