Moms who don’t breastfeed more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 27 – Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

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Immune responses during pregnancy linked to schizophrenia among offspring

Infections like the flu are common occurrences during pregnancy, and research has shown that children born to mothers who suffered from flu, viruses and other infections during pregnancy have about a 1.5 to 7 times increased risk for schizophrenia. A new study out of Temple University examines what’s behind that link.

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Menstrual cramps may alter brain structure

According to a new study published in Pain

Philadelphia, PA, August 11, 2010 – Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM), or menstrual cramps, is the most common gynecological disorder in women of childbearing age. Lower abdominal pain starts with the onset of menstrual flow and this ongoing pain stimulus can cause alterations throughout the nervous system. In a study scheduled for publication in the September issue of PAIN, researchers report abnormal changes in the structure of the brain in PDM patients, whether or not they are in fact experiencing pain.

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What makes a good egg and healthy embryo?

Discovery about zinc’s role may help in future fertility treatments

CHICAGO — Scientists as well as fertility doctors have long tried to figure out what makes a good egg that will produce a healthy embryo. It’s a particularly critical question for fertility doctors deciding which eggs isolated from a woman will produce the best embryos and, ultimately, babies.

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Obesity prevention begins before birth

Excess maternal weight gain increases birth weight after controlling for genetic factors

Boston, Mass. — Expectant mothers who gain large amounts of weight tend to give birth to heavier infants who are at higher risk for obesity later in life. But it’s never been proven that this tendency results from the weight gain itself, rather than genetic or other factors that mother and baby share. A large population-based study from Children’s Hospital Boston, looking at two or more pregnancies in the same mother, now provides evidence that excess maternal weight gain is a strong, independent predictor of high birth weight.

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30 million women to benefit from health reform law

Premium subsidies, bans on higher premiums and coverage denials based on gender, and required maternity and newborn care coverage among most significant in reducing women’s exposure to health costs

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Biomarkers found for postmenopausal cardiovascular disease

Analysis of blood protein data from the Women’s Health Initiative cohorts has revealed new biomarkers for stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD). Research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Genome Medicine found that beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) levels were significantly elevated in postmenopausal women with CHD, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) was strongly associated with stroke.

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Women in their 50s more prone to PTSD than men

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates peak in women later than they do in men. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Annals of General Psychiatry found that men are most vulnerable to PTSD between the ages of 41 and 45 years, while women are most vulnerable at 51 to 55.

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Ticking biological clock increases women’s libido, new research shows

AUSTIN, Texas—As more women wait until their 30s and 40s to have children, they are more willing to engage in a variety of sexual activities to capitalize on their remaining childbearing years, according to new research by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

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New study contradicts negative perceptions of menopause

New research from the University of Sheffield has found that social and psychological factors have the biggest influence upon women’s sexual behaviour during the menopause, rather than biological changes such as declining hormone levels.

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