Pregnancy

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed replacing a 30-year-old system for classifying prescription medications in order to provide women with far more detailed information about a medication’s risks and benefits during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Should the proposal be approved, new prescription drug labels would list the potential risks and benefits for both the mother and the fetus when taking the medication and how those risks might change during pregnancy. The new labels will help women become better informed about their prescription drugs, and doctors will be better able to counsel patients about using prescription drugs.

High doses of daily caffeine during pregnancy -- whether from coffee, tea, caffeinated soda or hot chocolate -- cause an increased risk of miscarriage, according a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study controlled, for the first time, pregnancy-related symptoms of nausea, vomiting and caffeine aversion that tended to interfere with the determination of caffeine's true effect on miscarriage risk. The research appears in the current online issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Tinted Nalgene bottles, dental sealants for children's teeth, coatings on compact discs and the sealants on the inside of most tin cans contain bisphenol A. This is a chemical that scientists say can

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences details the current information available about "...adverse human health effects of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)."

There is a "... concern that prenatal and childhood exposure to EDCs may be responsible for a variety of abnormalities in human sexuality, gender development and behaviors, reproductive capabilities, and sex ratios."

The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, a division of the US Food and Drug Administration gives this advice to pregnant women, however, it applies to everyone.

If you think you already are aware of safe food practices, you might find something here that is new to you. For example:

According to this Seattle Post Intelligencer article, "An increasing amount of research shows that breast milk lessens the risk or severity of diseases, from bacterial meningitis to respiratory-tract infections to some viruses. And some studies suggest that it decreases the risk of sudden-infant-death syndrome, diabetes, obesity and asthma." BUT "... buying breast milk can be risky if it is unscreened."

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which represents nearly 50,000 physicians, is sponsoring the "Ask Me" campaign to ensure that women have access to emergency contraception when they need it (within 72 hours after intercourse).

Phthalates, chemicals which can cause birth defects in the male reproductive system, are known to leach out of PVC plastic products.

To learn some of the products in which phthalates are used, typ

Bisphenol-A (BPA), the primary component of polycarbonate plastic bottles, has recently been proven to leach from the plastic and to be a cause of miscarriages and birth defects.
Learn what products use polycarbonate plastic and why doctors have said that food and drinks should not be put in plastic containers.

Have you been told that you are just like your mother? There are some surprising ties that bind us to our mothers that we have been unaware of, and they have nothing to do with looks or personality. Curious?