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15 Jul
Are Incontinence and Pelvic Pain After Childbirth Normal?
A new survey finds 71% of Americans think urine leaks after childbirth are normal, but experts say there are proven therapies to stop the pain and discomfort.
Health News Results - 49
U.S. Births Continue to Fall, Dropping by 17% Since 2007
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- August 20, 2024
- Full Page
Final government data finds the number of U.S. births falling by 2% last year compared to 2022, continuing a decades-long decline.
Overall, annual U.S. birth numbers have fallen by 17% since peaking in 2007, according to the new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease C...
Most Americans Think Incontinence, Pelvic Pain after Childbirth is Normal -- It's Not
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- July 15, 2024
- Full Page
Roughly a month after having her second child, Nicole Gerardi-Lukens suddenly felt pressure in her pelvis that was so intense it sent her to the hospital.
When doctors told her bladder had prolapsed -- meaning that it had slipped from its normal position and was bulging ...
Ignorance Could Be Fueling Rising Spread of STDs, Poll Finds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 27, 2024
- Full Page
Many sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the United States, and a nationwide poll indicates that ignorance about how they're transmitted could be fueling their spread.
About a third of Americans (34%) falsely believe sexually transmitted infections (
Many U.S. Women Unhappy With With Maternal Health Care, Poll Finds
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 5, 2024
- Full Page
Many women are unhappy with the state of U.S. maternal health care, but a major new poll finds most Americans don't understand how badly the nation lags behind other wealthy countries in this area.
Only about 2 in 5 (42%) women currently pregnant or ever pregnant strongl...
Epidurals Linked to Better Outcomes After Childbirth
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 28, 2024
- Full Page
Women who get an epidural during delivery appear to have a marked reduction in serious complications the first few weeks after giving birt...
Why C-Section Babies Need 2 Doses of Measles Vaccine
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 14, 2024
- Full Page
Babies born by C-section are unlikely to receive protection from a single dose of measles vaccine, a new study finds.
A single measles jab is up...
U.S. Births Declined in 2023, Marking End to Post-Pandemic Rise
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 25, 2024
- Full Page
The short post-pandemic uptick in U.S. births may be over, with 2023 numbers showing a decline in births.
According to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just under 3.6 million babies were born in America in 2023, about 76,000 fewe...
Too Many U.S. Women Disrespected, Mistreated During Childbirth
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- April 4, 2024
- Full Page
Childbirth is a harrowing ordeal, and it's being made worse by mistreatment from health care providers during labor, a new study says.
More than one in every eight women are mistreated during childbirth, researchers found.
Most commonly, women's requests for help d...
Syphilis Rates Among Pregnant Women Have Tripled, CDC Data Shows
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- February 13, 2024
- Full Page
Maternal syphilis rates have tripled in recent years, putting thousands of newborns at risk for infection, a new U.S. government report shows.
Left untreated, syphilis can damage the heart and brain and cause blindness, deafness and paralysis. When transmitted during pre...
Healthy Twins Born to Woman Who Was Pregnant in Each of Her Two Uteruses
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- December 26, 2023
- Full Page
When Kelsey Hatcher's twins share their birth story someday, their tale will truly be one in a million.
Hatcher, who gave birth at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has a rare double uterus and was pregnant with a baby in each one. After 20 hours of labor, s...
Waiting to Clamp Umbilical Cord May Save Preemies' Lives
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- November 15, 2023
- Full Page
The timing of a simple, standard part of childbirth could mean the difference between life and death for premature babies, a pair of new evidence reviews have concluded.
Preemies whose umbilical cords are clamped 30 seconds to two minutes after birth are less likely to d...
U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Climbs for First Time in 20 Years
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- November 1, 2023
- Full Page
Following nearly two decades of decline, U.S. infant death rates edged up by 3% in 2022, new provisional government numbers reveal.
"This was the first year we saw statistically significant increased rates of infant mortality in about 20 years,"said study author
Childbirth Can Leave New Parents in Serious Medical Debt
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 29, 2023
- Full Page
New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt.
That's according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregna...
In Mississippi, a Huge Jump in Cases of Babies Born With Syphilis
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- September 21, 2023
- Full Page
The United States is experiencing an alarming wave of congenital syphilis, and one southern state saw a 1,000% rise in babies born with the infection between 2016 and 2022.
The number of babies born with the infection in Mississippi rose from 10 in 2016 to 110 in 2022. S...
Great Step for Baby: Walkable Neighborhoods Linked to Safer Pregnancies
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 21, 2023
- Full Page
Walkable neighborhoods -- with sidewalks, parks and paths -- encourage pregnant women to get more exercise, which leads to good outcomes for both mom and baby.
New research ...
Tori Bowie's Death Highlights Race Gap in Maternal Death Rates
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 26, 2023
- Full Page
Having a baby in the United States continues to be a risky proposition, particularly for Black women, according to a pair of new reports.
The number of U.S. deliveries that resulted in severe, potentially life-threatening complications for the mother increased between 20...
COVID Pandemic May Have Heightened Women's Fears Around Pregnancy
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- May 17, 2023
- Full Page
Many American women fear childbirth, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not calm those feelings, new research shows.
"Our results showed really high rates of childbirth fear in our sample," said
Big Drop in U.S. Pregnancies Seen Since 2010
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- April 12, 2023
- Full Page
Pregnancy rates in the United States suffered a steep decline during the last decade, new government data shows.
The overall U.S. pregnancy rate fell by 12% between 2010 and 2019, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (...
Pandemic's Effect on U.S. Birth Rates May Have Depended on Politics
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- April 11, 2023
- Full Page
The "baby bust" that hit the United States during the first year of the COVID pandemic did not affect all states equally -- with states that were more racially diverse or more "blue" seeing bigger drops in their birth rates.
Induced Deliveries Could Help Prevent a Major Complication of Pregnancy
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- April 10, 2023
- Full Page
A potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy might be prevented by carefully screening women late in pregnancy and planning a timed delivery for those at high risk, a new study reports.
More than half of all preeclampsia cases that occur late in pregnancy could be w...
Birth Complications? Risk May Rise Depending on Where in U.S. You Live
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- April 7, 2023
- Full Page
Where a woman lives in the United States has a lot to do with whether she has severe maternal complications from childbirth, according to new research using Medicaid data.
Her race or ethnicity also greatly affects this, researchers found.
"Near misses" -- where co...
Pandemic Saw Rise in Opioid Prescriptions Given After Childbirth
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- April 5, 2023
- Full Page
New mothers who gave birth early in the pandemic filled far more opioid prescriptions than American women did previously, raising concerns about the potential for narcotic misuse.
About 38% of more than 460,000 women who gave birth from July 2018 through December 2020 we...
Study Refutes Notion That Method of Delivery Impacts Baby's 'Microbiome'
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 31, 2023
- Full Page
Despite a longstanding assumption that babies' gut microbiome development could be affected by whether they were born vaginally or through cesarean section, scientists report this doesn't appear to be the case.
A team of Canadian researchers looked to infant stool microb...
Do C-Section Babies Miss Out on Mom's Helpful Microbes? Maybe Not
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 10, 2023
- Full Page
New evidence finds that babies born by cesarean section may not miss out on essential microbes.
Though these newborns receive less of their mother's gut microbiome during birth, they can obtain their mom's microbes in breast milk and in other ways.
"We wanted to ...
Kids Born After Elective Induced Labor Performed Worse in School: Study
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- February 22, 2023
- Full Page
You're 38 weeks pregnant and so uncomfortable you can barely move, so you ask your doctor if labor can be induced early.
That's not necessarily a good idea, according to new research that found children born after elective induced labor may do worse in school.
Dut...
U.S. Birth Rates Continue to Fall
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 10, 2023
- Full Page
Continuing a decades-long trend, the percentage of American women who've ever had a child declined again in the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"A lower percentage of women aged 15 to 44 in 2015--2019 had ever had a biological chi...
U.S. Home Births Reach Highest Level in Three Decades
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- November 17, 2022
- Full Page
More pregnant women in the United States are choosing to deliver their babies at home rather than in hospitals, a trend that may have been influenced by the pandemic.
Kept Home Under Lockdown, U.S. Couples May Have Spurred a 'Baby Bump'
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 21, 2022
- Full Page
The pandemic brought about a lot of changes in people's lives. For many, that included a new baby.
The United States saw a "baby bump"in 2021 described in a new study as "the first major reversal in declini...
Genes for Stillbirth May Be Passed Down by Male Relatives
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 19, 2022
- Full Page
Stillbirth is heartbreaking tragedy for parents, but exactly what raises the risk of it remains elusive.
Certain health conditions in a pregnant woman can be a factor, but new research came up...
7 Million U.S. Women Live in Maternity Care 'Deserts': Report
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 11, 2022
- Full Page
Pregnancy can be safer and healthier for both mom and baby with good access to quality maternity care.
Yet, the United States is still among one of the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, especially in rural areas and communities of color, according to a ne...
Anxiety During Pregnancy Could Mean Earlier Delivery
- By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
- September 27, 2022
- Full Page
Too much anxiety isn't good for anyone, but a new study suggests it is particularly perilous for pregnant women because it can raise the chances of their ...
Stories of Difficult Conception, Birth Can Boost Appreciation of Life
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 7, 2022
- Full Page
Stories about their difficult birth or their parents' fertility challenges can give adult children a more grateful, upbeat attitude towards their lives, British researchers suggest.
Vaginal or C-Section, Method of Childbirth Won't Affect a Couple's Sex Life Later
- By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 24, 2022
- Full Page
Childbirth shouldn't put any dent in your future lovin', regardless of the way your baby was delivered, new research assures.
Sexual enjoyment isn't affected at all by method of delivery in the years following childbirth, according to
Neighborhood May Affect a Couple's Odds of Conceiving
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 3, 2022
- Full Page
Where you live may affect your fertility, a new study suggests.
People who live in economically deprived neighborhoods are about 20% less likely...
Childbirth Now Costs Nearly $3,000 for Insured Americans
- Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
- July 21, 2022
- Full Page
Better have some savings stored up before you rush to the delivery room: A new analysis shows the average out-of-pocket expense for delivering a child in the United States is nearly $3,000, even if you're insured.
Other studies have looked at the costs for specific serv...
C-Sections Won't Raise Baby's Odds for Food Allergies
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- May 23, 2022
- Full Page
Babies delivered by cesarean section are no more likely to have food allergies during their first year of life than other infants, according to an Australian study.
The association between type of delivery and food allergy risk had been unclear, so researchers decided to...
C-Section Antibiotics Show No Link to Asthma in Childhood
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- May 20, 2022
- Full Page
Giving antibiotics to a woman just before a cesarean delivery does not increase her baby's risk of asthma or eczema, a new British study says.
C-section is common, but can put new mothers at incre...
COVID Infection Can Attack Placenta, Triggering Stillbirth
- February 10, 2022
- Full Page
Pregnant women who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 are at greater risk for delivering stillborn babies, and new research provides important clues about why.
Unlike other fungal, bacterial or viral infections, which cross over the placenta to affect the fetus, SARS-CoV...
More Evidence Pot Use in Pregnancy Is Bad for Baby
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- February 1, 2022
- Full Page
So, you're pregnant and battling nausea every day. What harm could come from smoking a joint to settle your stomach?
Plenty, according to a new study that suggests women who use pot while expe...
A Faster, Cheaper Test to Gauge the Risk of Premature Delivery?
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- November 1, 2021
- Full Page
A two-minute test can accurately detect vaginal bacteria associated with preterm birth, researchers have found, pointing to a possible way to identify pregnant women at increased risk of early delivery.
In the United States, about one in 10 babies are born preterm, accor...
Pandemic Grief Can Come Between Mothers and Their Newborns
- Cara Murez
- October 18, 2021
- Full Page
Among the many negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may be damage to the bond between mothers and their infants, researchers say.
Women who experienced grief and depression due to pandemic-related losses may find it more difficult to form this all-important emotiona...
Pregnancy, Delivery Safe for Women Born With Heart Defects
- Robert Preidt
- October 18, 2021
- Full Page
Women who were born with heart defects may get some reassurance from a new study that finds they face no heightened risk to health during a pregnancy and delivery.
According to the researchers, doctors may often advise these women against getting pregnant due to the pote...
Epidurals Not Linked to Autism in Children
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- September 29, 2021
- Full Page
Pregnant women who receive an epidural to ease their pain during labor aren't any more likely than others to have kids with autism, two new studies show.
Earlier research suggested this practice may increase autism risk in offspring, but the pair of studies should put th...
Pandemic Tied to Declining Birth Rates for U.S., Much of Europe
- Steven Reinberg
- September 20, 2021
- Full Page
Birth rates tend to fall during pandemics, and history is repeating itself with the COVID-19 scourge, researchers say.
Fewer babies have been born in much of Europe and the United States. Earlier in the pandemic, U.S. births declined 7%, a new study finds.
In Europ...
Are Stillbirths More Common in Women Infected With COVID?
- Cara Murez
- September 13, 2021
- Full Page
COVID-19 is surging in U.S. states with low vaccination rates, and these places may also be seeing a higher-than-usual number of stillbirths linked to the virus.
While the number of stillbirths is still very low nationally, doctors in the Deep South have noticed increase...
Mom-to-Be's 'Leaky' Heart Valves May Pose More Danger Than Thought
- Cara Murez
- September 9, 2021
- Full Page
Leaky heart valves can put pregnant women at serious risk, according to a large study that runs counter to established practice.
The condition used to be considered relatively harmless during pregnancy. But this analysis by Johns Hopkins University researchers of more th...
More College-Educated Women Are Having Children Outside of Marriage
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 7, 2021
- Full Page
First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes baby in the baby carriage.
While that childhood rhyme used to be true, college-educated women in the United States are now more likely than ever to have a first baby outside marriage. They're also more likely than other w...
Wildfire Smoke Could Raise Odds for Preterm Delivery
- Cara Murez
- August 26, 2021
- Full Page
The health impact of wildfires is already huge, and new research suggests it might also raise a mom-to-be's risk for preterm birth, according to a new study.
Wildfire smoke contains high levels of PM 2.5, the deadliest type of pollution from particles so fine they can em...
Why Do Black, Hispanic Newborns Face Higher Health Risks?
- Robert Preidt
- August 25, 2021
- Full Page
All births are not created equal, new U.S. research reveals: Differences in the quality of hospital care contribute to a higher chance of complications among Black and Hispanic newborns compared to white and Asian infants.
The analysis of more than 480,000 live births at...