posts related to: birth defects

Medicine bottle

Folic acid: what you need to know

One nutrient key to a healthy pregnancy is worth special consideration: folate or folic acid one of the B group of vitamins, also known as B9. We all need folic acid to make DNA. DNA carries the genetic information that controls the correct development and function of every single cell in our bodies. A good intake of folic…

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Alcohol free wines

Looking for clarity on alcohol and pregnancy?

A group of midwives from across the country were brought together for an in-depth briefing about one of the more confusing health issues for pregnant women – whether it is safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy. The world class medical experts provided the latest insight on how alcohol can affect unborn children and the correct…

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Pregnant lady

Novel epilepsy treatment could reduce risk of birth defects

Researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London have developed a new biochemical approach to identifying epilepsy treatments which not only offer stronger seizure protection but could also provide safer treatment for pregnant women. The research, carried out by Dr Robin Williams from the Centre of Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway, in collaboration with Professor Matthew…

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Epilepsy

If you’re an epileptic, it’s generally recommended that you see your doctor before you become pregnant, so that you can discuss how best to control your epilepsy while you’re pregnant. It will also give you a chance to talk about how your epilepsy might affect your pregnancy and your baby. Will being pregnant affect my epilepsy? Pregnancy seems to affect…

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Make up brushes

Women Warned Away From Make up During Pregnancy

Women are being warned off beauty products amid fears they could lead to birth defects. Growing concerns over the effects of chemicals such as parabens, commonly used in make up as a preservative, and phthalates, used in hairspray, have led to calls for a new EU-wide cosmetics labelling system. The move follows the publication of a…

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Electric blankets in pregnancy

Published back in August, was an article about the money saving and fire safety features of modern electric blankets. Since the publication of this article there have been a lot of questions about electric blankets, and one particular question which seems to be concerning a lot of people is if they should be using an electric blanket when pregnant. Pregnancy…

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Taking drugs in pregnancy

Taking drugs in pregnancy

It’s well known that taking drugs of any kind isn’t good for you, but doing so during pregnancy can have disasterous effects. Danniella Westbrook was one of the lucky ones – losing part of her nose, but not her baby, to her cocaine addiction. Even clean-living Jennifer Aniston urged ex-hubby Brad Pitt to give up smoking cannabis to help…

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Birth defects linked to herbal remedy

Taking some types of the herbal remedy Ginkgo biloba during pregnancy could cause unwanted birth defects, researchers claim. American scientists from the Wayne State University in Detroit have studied the effects of taking herbal remedies during pregnancy. They examined the routine placental blood tests undertaken on a group of pregnant women and found that some…

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Taking folic acid

Folic acid linked to having twins

Folic acid supplements are recommended to women during pregnancy but, according to Swedish researchers, they could increase the likelihood of giving birth to twins. A team of scientists from the Tornblad Institute in Lund examined data gathered by the Swedish Medical Birth Registry on the types of medicines taken by pregnant women in the late…

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Medication to aid conception

Epilepsy drugs could harm unborn babies

Women who suffer from epilepsy are often unaware of the harm their medication could cause to unborn babies, a new report suggests. A study published in the consumer organisation magazine Health Which? claims that epileptic pregnant women are often not given essential information about the potential risks involved. Normal doses of the drugs can increase…

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