A study led by Dr Marcus Cooke at the University of Leicester and funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) UK is looking at whether consuming caffeine during pregnancy might affect the unborn baby's risk of developing leukaemia in childhood. Dr Cooke sees the study as a unique opportunity to determine the sources of chromosomal alterations during pregnancy, with the ultimate aim of reducing the risk of childhood leukaemias.

Trust must ensure improvements continue in the long-term The Healthcare Commission said that Newham University NHS Trust had made substantial improvements to its maternity services, with more beds, more staff and better management of risk. The Commission today published a report detailing progress at the trust since it conducted a formal review of the services in 2007.

A study of more than 2,500 pregnant women in Africa has shown that those who experience violence from their partners are 50% more likely to lose their baby in at least one pregnancy. The study findings support the idea of prenatal screening for spousal violence in Africa, the region with the highest levels of fetal loss in the world.

A new study to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reveals the consequences of heavy and binge drinking on pregnancy even after these drinking patterns have stopped.

When it is head versus heart, the heart comes first. The heart is the first organ to develop and is critical in supplying blood to the rest of the body. Yet, little is known about the complex processes that regulate the heartbeat. By studying chickens' hearts, a University of Missouri researcher has identified certain proteins within the heart muscle that play an important regulatory role in embryonic heartbeat control.

A new study from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has revealed the consequences of heavy and binge drinking on pregnancy even after these drinking patterns have stopped. The study, to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, investigated the relationship between prenatal exposure to alcohol and the effects on fetal growth and preterm birth.

Some women held at federal immigration centers in Arizona failed to receive timely or adequate health care, according to a new study, the New York Times reports. Researchers from the University of Arizona's

An increase in the number of Caesarean sections performed in the U.S. coincides with an increase in severe complications during birth, according to a study scheduled to be published in the February issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USA Today reports.For the study, researchers analyzed data from the largest U.S.

Birth defects are the second leading underlying cause of death for children in Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The most common are defects of the central nervous and circulatory systems. While some birth defects are unavoidable, a woman's health before and during pregnancy is a significant contributor to the likelihood of delivering a healthy baby, says the state's Chief Medical Officer.

Magnesium sulphate protects very premature babies from cerebral palsy, a new study shows. The findings of this Cochrane Review could help reduce incidence of the disabling condition, which currently affects around one in every 500 newborn babies overall, but up to one-in-ten very premature babies (

Giving pregnant mothers magnesium sulphate when they are at risk of very preterm birth can help protect their babies from cerebral palsy, according to an international review of research involving the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Fetal heath affected by mother's diet In the United States, there has been a recent dramatic rise in the number of children classified as obese and diagnosed with obesity-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). One factor thought to contribute to this rise is obesity of the mother during pregnancy.

Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders (http://www.remudaranch.com), the nation's leading eating disorder treatment center, reports there's a new pressure to look perfect while pregnant. "With the media giving so much focus to pregnant celebrities, there's an increased pressure to look perfect and thin during pregnancy," said Brenda Woods, MD, director of medical services at Remuda Ranch.

To better understand preeclampsia, a sudden rise in maternal blood pressure and onset of kidney disease during pregnancy, researchers from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College are studying mice that have the same affliction. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of both maternal and fetal death -- killing more than 500,000 women worldwide each year and causing 15 percent of all premature births -- yet the condition is not well understood. Dr. Robin Davisson, Dr.

The following highlights efforts and grants that seek to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Framingham, Mass.: The Framingham Mental Health & Substance Abuse Health Disparities Project, which seeks to identify and address barriers to mental health care and substance abuse treatment services for local Hispanics, will launch on Friday, the

A heart-to-heart chat with a peer has proven an effective way to prevent postnatal depression in high risk women, cutting the risk of depression by 50%, according to a University of Toronto nursing study published in BMJ Online. Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis, an associate professor at the Lawrence S.

Gene Therapy Studied for Preeclampsia - New Clues to a Mysterious Pregnancy Condition To better understand preeclampsia, a sudden rise in maternal blood pressure and onset of kidney disease during pregnancy, researchers from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College are studying mice that have the same affliction.

Women in the world's least developed countries are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in developed countries, according to UNICEF's latest State of the World's Children report, released here.

Health visitors can be trained to identify women with postnatal depression and offer effective treatment, while telephone peer support (mother to mother) may halve the risk of developing postnatal depression, suggests research published on http://www.bmj.com today. About 13% of women experience postnatal depression in the year following the birth of their child.

As expected, the House on Wednesday approved a State Children's Health Insurance Program renewal and expansion bill (H.R. 2) that includes a provision that would allow states to extend public health benefits to legal immigrant pregnant women and children who have been in the country less than five years, the