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Cervical Biopsies Do Not Increase Risk of Miscarriage

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:00:27 +0000

At the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, researchers presented findings from a large, multi-center study on the effects of LEEP and cervical punch biopsy on future pregnancy loss. In previous studies, LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedures) had been associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications, however there were problems with those studies that had always left the results in doubt.

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Non-Believers Find Support in Grief

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:16:22 +0000

When people experience loss, very often they turn to their faith to help them get through their grief. But for people who identify as Atheist or Agnostic, there is no higher power to turn to. Grief and loss are one of the more challenging aspects of being a non-believer.

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Is Grief a Mental Disorder?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:00:06 +0000

In a case of old news getting new attention, a proposal from the American Psychology Association (APA) to change the definition of grief in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM for short) has just regained attention in the mainstream media.

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Using Alcohol May Triple Your Risk of Miscarriage

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:58:47 +0000

Last week, the results of an interesting study out of Denmark were revealed for the first time in the Journal of Alcohol and Alcoholism. The study was large, involving self-reported drinking habits of 25,000 women over a period of 7 years, found a disturbing increase of miscarriage risk in the first trimester with even a small alcohol intake.

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February Awareness Days

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:53:02 +0000

Although National Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month is October, there are quite a few awareness campaigns going on in February that touch on the area of pregnancy loss as well. Since some of the causes and risk factors for pregnancy loss can also affect a woman's health in other ways, it's worth taking note of some of the organizations promoting their messages in February.

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South Asian Women at Risk for Gestational Diabetes

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:27:43 +0000

Gestational Diabetes is a growing problem for all populations, but for South-Asian women, the risk of Gestational Diabetes is even higher. According to the National Institutes of Health, rates of diabetes range from 2-10% of all pregnancies, though the average is usually reported at 7%. However, for South-Asian women (women from Indian, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangledesh) get gestational diabetes at a rate of 14% of all pregnancies.

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Count the Kicks Campaign Raises Awareness

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:03 +0000

English mother Sophia Mason started a campaign to raise awareness and eduction about stillbirth after losing her daughter, Chloe, to placental failure just a week before her due date. Mason's campaign, called Count the Kicks, actually helped save the life of her second child, a boy named George, who stopped moving at 36 weeks and was delivered safely by an emergency c-section. Mason believes if she had not researched stillbirth, and learned about the importance of fetal movement, she could have easily lost her second child just like she did Chloe.

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Wisconsin Program Targets Infant Mortality By Focusing on the Entire Family

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:07:59 +0000

The United States has a bad reputation when it comes to infant mortality. For years, the U.S. has been among the worst for industrialized nations. In fact, some parts of the U.S. have higher infant mortality rates than third world nations. One of the worst in the nation is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, the rate of death for infants less than 1 year of age is 6.9 for every 1,000 babies born. Broken down by race, the disparity is shocking and embarrassing. For whites, the rate is 5.9, while for blacks, the rate is 13.8 per 1,000.

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Cellphones Reducing Infant Deaths in Africa

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:14:26 +0000

In Africa, limited resources and a geographically scattered population have made healthcare initiatives difficult in all areas. With not enough doctors to go around, many charitable foundations have had to come up with innovative solutions to provide the services the populations need.

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Santorum Draws Attention to Parental Mourning

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:22:41 +0000

GOP Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum probably didn't expect the media frenzy (see here and here for examples) that resulted when he and his wife spoke openly about their experiences grieving the death of their son, Gabriel, born at 20 weeks in 1996. Gabriel lived for 2 hours, and after his death, the Santorums decided to transport his body back to their home so they and their other children could spend time with him.

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