Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
older moms
Older mothers’ kids have higher autism risk, study finds
Feb 8th
A 10-year study examining 4.9 million births in the 1990s has found more evidence that there's a link between autism and the mother's age at conception.
The link between the parents' age and children's health is not entirely new. Prior studies have indicated that babies born to older women have higher risks of birth defects, low birth weight and certain chromosome problems, such as Down syndrome.
A 2007 Kaiser Permanente study conducted in California reported that autism risk increased with both the mother's and father's age. An Israeli study based in statistics from 1980s had isolated only paternal age as being linked with increased risk for autism.
Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, said the latest research had a far larger sample size.
In the latest study, researchers found that mothers over the age of 40 had 51 percent higher odds of having children with autism compared with mothers between the ages 25 and 29.
The father's age also played a factor, but only when he had a child with a woman under 30.
"When the mom has minimal age risk of an autistic child, we do see increased risks as dads get older," said lead author Janie Shelton, a graduate student researcher at UC-Davis.
It's unclear why the mother's age has more bearing in autism risk than the father's.
The study authors emphasize that while autism rates have risen 600 percent in the past two decades, older women having children contributed to only 5 percent more cases of autism.
As more women delay childbearing, it's important to keep the study in perspective, said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization.
"I don't think a mom blaming herself is going to help us understand what's causing autism or help prevent further cases," she said. "I would urge parents not to blame themselves, regardless of what age they are."
Shelton and the co-authors obtained all birth records in California from 1990 to 1999 and then collected data from the state's Department of Developmental Services to count the number of autism diagnoses from children born during that decade.
How parental age increases autism risks remains unknown, but several hypotheses exist. Some suggest that the cumulative effects of the environment, changes to the autoimmune system, stress and reproductive technology may affect autism risk.
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Herbal use common among pregnant women in U.S.
Jan 26th
Roughly 1 in 10 pregnant women in the U.S. expose their unborn baby to herbal products, according to a new study.
This finding is potentially concerning, researchers say, given that data on the safety of herbal use during pregnancy is lacking. Furthermore, the prevalence of exposure was highest in the first 3 months of pregnancy, a critical period of development.
"If we assume that our study sample was representative of the 4.2 million births each year in the United States, our findings project that 9.4 percent, or potentially 395,000 U.S. births annually, will involve exposure to at least one herbal product during pregnancy," lead author Dr. Cheryl S. Broussard, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, told Reuters Health by email.
The findings, reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, are based on data from 4,239 mothers in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study who delivered infants with no major birth defects from 1998 to 2004. The 10 study centers were located across the U.S.
Overall, 462 (10.9 percent) of the 4,239 mothers reported using herbal products in the 3 months before or at some point during pregnancy. The prevalence of herbal use anytime during pregnancy was 9.4 percent. The prevalence during pregnancy was highest (6.9 percent) during the first trimester.
Excluding the 86 mothers whose only use of herbs involved herbal teas, the prevalence of herb exposure before or during pregnancy was 8.9 percent.
The most commonly reported products used early in pregnancy were ginger, which has been shown to help ease morning sickness, without side effects to the unborn child, and ephedra, an herbal stimulant that was banned in the U.S. in 2004 after reports linked it to heart attacks, strokes and at least 155 deaths.
The products used most often throughout pregnancy were herbal teas and chamomile, which has also been shown to ease morning sickness.
Herb exposure was more prevalent in women older than 30 and with more than 12 years of education. Of the 10 states studied, Iowa had the lowest rate of herbal use (5.4 percent) and Utah had the highest (16.5 percent).
"The fact that use of herbal products was greatest during the first trimester raises concerns about fetal safety, because this is a critical period of fetal organ development," Broussard noted.
"Providers should inform patients that it would be prudent to err on the side of caution regarding use of herbal products just before and during pregnancy because little is known about their potential risks."
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Claudia Schiffer expecting her third child at 39
Jan 15th
Supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her husband Matthew Vaughn are expecting their third child, they announced today.
The striking blonde, 39, is five-and-a-half months pregnant and will give birth in May. And she spoke of her joy as she said: 'We are delighted with the news and can't wait to add to our family.
The German star is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on more than 500 magazine covers. Financial bible Forbes estimated her net worth at £38 million.
She already has two children, Caspar, aged six, and five-year-old Clementine.
Miss Schiffer married Vaughan, 38, in May 2002 following a romance the model called ‘love at first sight’ and the family live in West London.
She has previously talked about how motherhood changed her workaholic life, revealing: ‘I used to work every single day and travel round the world. I worked weekends, I never took one second off.
‘When I met my husband I said, "You know what, this is important. I'm not going to work weekends any more." And when I had kids, I became even more careful.
‘I love being pregnant. You can do whatever you want. You don't feel guilty, because I used to feel guilty about having a day off. And, you know, something really strange happened to me. Before my pregnancies, I was someone who had to watch their weight.'
Congratulations Claudia!
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Baby No.8 on the way for the mother of all surrogates
Jan 6th
After giving birth to seven babies, Jill Hawkins was happy to call time on her career as a surrogate mother.
But then she found she missed being pregnant so much that she decided to do it all again.
The 45-year-old was implanted with two embryos from a professional couple in their early thirties.
And last night Miss Hawkins said she was 'absolutely ecstatic' after a home pregnancy test revealed at least one of the embryos has started to grow in her womb.
It will be the first time she has carried a child not from her own eggs.
She will find out later this month if she is expecting one baby or twins.
Miss Hawkins, who has no children of her own, will hand over the baby - or babies - to the couple while still in the maternity ward.
She insists that she has no desire to keep a baby, and that she is continuing to be a surrogate mother because she loves being pregnant.
All the previous children she has given away have been conceived using her own eggs and sperm from the father which was artificially inseminated.
Miss Hawkins, who will be paid around £12,000 in 'expenses' for her pregnancy, had spent 18 months trying for an eighth baby, but without success.
'My eggs have just packed up which is not unusual for a woman of my age,' she said.
'I was worried that because my eggs aren't as strong as they were that the rest of me might not be up to it either.
'But I've had scans and there's nothing wrong with my womb so being a host should not be a problem.
In a previous interview, she insisted she would not undergo IVF treatment to become a surrogate mother for the eight time.
But it seems that the temptation was too great and Miss Hawkins stepped in to help a 32-year-old mother-of-one who is unable to become pregnant again because of the powerful drugs she had to take after a lung transplant.
The woman and her husband had six embryos frozen before the transplant - two of which are now in Miss Hawkins' womb.
Miss Hawkins, from Brighton, said: 'It's a new experience this time because they are not my biological children. I feel different.
'I feel there's not so much pressure on me because it's not my genes. I'm just providing the womb for the baby to grow in.
She added: 'Being a host is more of a hassle because of all the fertility drugs you have to take.
'The side effects can make you feel weepy one moment and then bursting with rage the next.'
Miss Hawkins, a legal secretary, is the most prolific surrogate mother living in Britain.
Carole Horlock, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, who has given birth to 12 surrogate babies, held the title before moving to France four years ago.
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Ultrasounds during pregnancy soar
Jan 5th
The number of ultrasounds administered to pregnant women has soared over the past decade, new research suggests.
A new study finds that the annual number of ultrasounds rose to 3,264 per 1,000 pregnancies in 2006 from 2,055 per 1,000 in 1996.
The proportion of pregnancies with at least four ultrasounds in the second or third trimesters grew to 18.7 per cent in 2006 from 6.4 per cent in 1996. Women who were deemed low-risk by their physicians received more ultrasounds than women categorized as high-risk.
Women fell into a high-risk category if the pregnancy endangered their life, required a genetics consultation or amniocentesis, or if they had a history of complications in a previous pregnancy. All other pregnancies were considered low-risk.
The study of 1,399,389 single deliveries was conducted between 1996 and 2006 by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Toronto's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. It is published in the Jan. 4 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Although guidelines generally recommend that two ultrasound examinations be performed in a pregnancy without complications — one in the first trimester for measurement of nuchal translucency to screen for aneuploidy (a chromosomal abnormality), and one in the second trimester to screen for fetal anomalies — it is conceivable that the proliferation of prenatal ultrasonography reflects changes in maternal risk over time," write the authors.
The authors speculate that many factors could be involved in the spike in ultrasounds. They attribute it to "defensive medicine," meaning doctors are erring on the side of caution, the desire of physicians to reduce patient anxiety, requests from mothers and even the "entertainment value of seeing one's fetus."
Over the course of the 10-year study period, the proportion of women aged 34-54 rose to 20.4 per cent of all pregnancies from 15.1 per cent in 1996. The number of high-risk pregnancies also grew to 19.3 per cent from 15.7 per cent.
The study's authors also point out that the cost of administering ultrasounds to women at low risk of pregnancy complications is high. At $64 per exam in Ontario, the cumulative total of ultrasound exams in the province since 1996 is $30 million.
It also questions the safety of multiple ultrasounds, noting that some studies have shown that frequent scans may cause the fetus's growth to be restricted, delayed speech and non-right-handedness. As well, the study points out that benign findings on ultrasounds can lead to invasive and potentially risky procedures that are not necessary, such as amniocentesis.
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MRI Can Rule Out Risky Placental Disorder
Dec 2nd
MRI may be effective at ruling out placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening complication of pregnancy, researchers say.
The test correctly identified 88% of positive cases and 96% of negative cases in about 70 high-risk women, Michele A. Browne, MD, of the University of California San Diego, reported at the Radiological Society of North America meeting.
"MRI is a useful and accurate adjunct to ultrasound for diagnosis of placenta accreta," Brown said. "Women at high risk for placenta accreta, such as those who've had multiple cesarean sections, should undergo ultrasound. And if ultrasound is inconclusive, MRI should be considered."
Placenta accreta is an abnormal attachment of the placenta with invasion into the wall of the uterus. Brown said it usually requires a hysterectomy, and maternal death occurs in 7% of cases.
The incidence of the condition has increased at least 10 times over the last six decades, from about one in 30,000 births in 1950 to one in 2,500, or as frequently as one in 533 births now, according to different estimates.
Browne said this is likely the result of more frequent cesarean sections, because scar tissue in the uterus interferes with a specific layer of the endometrium that involves placental attachment.
Other risk factors involve any kind of uterine surgery, including abortion, as well as maternal age over 35, both of which have increased substantially over the last 60 years.
To measure the efficacy of MRI for detection of placental accreta, the researchers looked at 108 patients who'd had an MRI at their imaging center between 1992 and 2009 and who were suspected to have the condition.
Outcome results were available for 71 of those women.
Overall, Browne said, the accuracy of MRI was 90.1%.
"Early, accurate diagnosis is very important for this condition because it allows for delivery planning, which improves outcome," Browne said.
That includes a scheduled delivery at 36 to 37 weeks and arrangements for sufficient blood products to be on hand because of high blood loss associated with the condition.
Browne noted that after birth, a cesarean-hysterectomy is usually performed because trying to separate the placenta carries a high risk of complications.
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