According to a recent statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the majority of pregnant women do not need to undergo screening for low levels of vitamin D or be given supplements. Reuters reports that vitamin D from the mother's body typically helps in the development of a baby's bones and teeth before birth. However, most pregnant women do not need to be tested for vitamin D levels or take supplements, according to Dr. George Macones, the chair of the college's obstetric practice committee. Macones and his fellow researchers decided that such screening is not necessary after [...]

A new study indicates that women with celiac disease who go untreated may hit menopause earlier in life and could be more susceptible to pregnancy complications. Reuters reports that the authors of the new study, including researchers from the University of Naples in Italy, found that the lack of nutrients and lower hormone levels in women with the disease could account for the earlier menopause. "When a woman has early menopause, she should think of celiac disease," said lead author Dr. Carolina Ciacci. "It's probably too late to gain anything about fertility but it's probably important for her quality of [...]

A new study conducted by researchers in New Zealand indicates that by sleeping on their left side, pregnant women may be able to reduce the risk of stillbirths. HealthDay reports that the researchers in the study found that pregnant women who did not sleep on their left side were twice as likely to deliver a stillborn baby. Lead author Tomasina Stacey, a University of Auckland graduate student, explained that while the research could be a positive step forward in helping prevent stillbirths, more studies need to be conducted in order to help confirm the results. "This is a new and [...]

A new prenatal test, which could be in use by next year, may be able to identify Down syndrome just nine weeks into a mother's pregnancy, according to The Associated Press. The news source reports that the new procedure could prove to be a beneficial substitute to the blood test that is traditionally used. If the blood test suggests an increased risk of Down syndrome, DNA from the fetus is then taken in order to confirm the diagnosis. Such a procedure, which typically involves a needle, is generally done more than four months into the pregnancy and carries a very [...]

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently signed into law a bill that will require every newborn in the state to be screened for congenital heart disease, reports the Star-Ledger. According to the news provider, the tests will be conducted in order to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood of the newborns, in addition to how well the baby's heart and lungs are functioning. "Before they leave the hospital, the 102,000 babies born in our state each year will now have a simple, painless screening test to ensure that any hidden, but potentially life-threatening heart defects will be detected," [...]

A new study presented recently at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston, Massachusetts, indicates that women who gain too much weight during pregnancy are more likely to deliver babies who have too much body fat. According to WebMD, the evidence of the link was maintained even in women who were at a normal weight prior to becoming pregnant. Still, study researcher Dr. Jami Josefson from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago said that the weight gain during pregnancy was just one reason behind the increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity. "Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is certainly [...]

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a newborn saliva test could potentially identify nearly all cases of a virus linked to birth defects such as hearing loss. According to HealthDay, the new test could give doctors a better opportunity to prevent or treat deafness in the babies caused by the virus, referred to as cytomegalovirus. The saliva test could ultimately replace the traditional "heel stick" blood test conducted on newborns that generally misses between 60 and 70 percent of cases, reports the news provider. "The challenge is, unlike the dried blood spot [heel [...]

A new study published online in the journal The Lancet Neurology found that four of the five most popular epilepsy drugs seem to increase risks of birth defects, with such risks elevated with higher doses of the medications. HealthDay reports that the drugs that appeared to raise the risk of birth defects included carbamazepine, lamotrigine, valproic acid and phenbobarbital. The researchers noted that the risks increased with higher doses, but added that the majority of the women examined ultimately delivered healthy babies. "It is easy to recommend against use of a specific drug (valproic acid, for instance) because of a [...]