More and more women are postponing pregnancy or wanting fewer babies. The recession has hit at much more than people’s wallets. According to Dr. Laura Lindberg from the Guttmacher Institute, women, especially those struggling financially, are trying more than ever to avoid getting pregnant. And many of them can’t even afford to buy their contraceptives. Lindberg and her colleagues interviewed about 1,000 sexually active women aged between 18 and 39 years old with their annual income less than $75,000. Full story

If an expectant mom takes antidepressants during first three months of pregnancy, her baby may be born with heart defect, with the risk increasing by 80 per cent. If she takes more than one antidepressant, the risk quadruples. The so called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are usually prescribed to those suffering from depression. The most recognizable of those is Prozac. Full story

New fetal heart monitor can help to save the lives of fetuses in complicated pregnancies. The report about this device was published in International Journal of Engineering Systems Modelling and Simulation. In cases of complicated pregnancies that result in premature birth, miscarriage, fetal growth cessation and stillbirth, problems do not usually happen suddenly but develop over a certain period of time. Regular ultrasound monitoring of fetal growth can help identify some problems, but too frequent ultrasound monitoring of a mother and her fetus involves its own health risks. Full story

Physicians warn that pregnant women are in the risk group for developing severe health problems during the flu season. So in this year marked by swine flu threat, they have to be even more on the alert. Dr. Keith Reeves from Methodist Hospital in Houston says that physicians don't want pregnant women to be panicked by this virus, but they do want women to be more responsible for taking precautions typical for the flu season. In particular, women should be vaccinated. Full story

Arkansas woman got pregnant while pregnant, according to MSNBC. The expectant mom Julia Grovenburg from Fort Smith had the appointment for scheduled ultrascan. While doing the test, obstetrician observed the heartbeat of a second fetus, at earlier stage of development. According to specialist, a boy fetus was conceived two weeks later than his "older sister". Both fetuses attached inside the womb and began growing normally. Full story

Pregnant women can safely travel by air at any point during their pregnancy if it is uncomplicated, according to Committee Opinion issued by non-commercial organization American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The revised guidelines will be published in the October issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. William Barth, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston claims that a series of studies conducted since 2001 showed that air travel was safe for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Full story

One of the leading causes of death are cardiovascular diseases and thus it is very important that those diseases are identified at early stages. It is known that women with gestational diabetes tend to have higher risk of having problems with heart and blood vessels than those who did not have this condition during pregnancy. Canadian scientists have recently discovered that if a pregnant woman has even the smallest glucose intolerance, it can be automatically associated with cardiovascular problems. Full story

Today I was talking to my mom in Skype sitting on a sofa with the laptop on my knees, when I suddenly felt some baby movements in the belly! It’s my 16th-17th week of pregnancy. And they say, you normally feel first fetal movements in your 20th week if it’s your first pregnancy, and in the 16th-18th if it’s your second/third etc. baby. And it’s my absolutely first pregnancy! This is why I wasn’t absolutely sure, that what I had was fetal movement, but I really wanted to think so. After all, what else could it be if not the baby? Full story

Notwithstanding the fact that man’s body is not equipped for bearing a child, his mind can be quite amenable to the idea. So don’t be surprised if, when you are pregnant, your husband will begin to evince pregnancy symptoms out of the blue. It is a well-known phenomenon called sympathetic pregnancy, and although it is a purely psychosomatic condition, your husband will be experiencing very real sensations. Full story

Pregnant women often get suspicious about having their hair treated lest perms or coloring might somehow interfere with their condition. Actually – provided that certain caution is exercised – there’s no need to restrain yourself, and you can rely on a spot of calculated hair regimen indulgence for a better appearance and a better mood! Full story

Pregnant women sometimes think their belly grows much too quickly, or, on the contrary, they can hardly notice it for some reason. Learn how to make sure that the size of your belly is ok. Full story

OnePoll, a British company reports, their recent survey has shown that both first-time expecting mothers and fathers gain weight during the pregnancy period. On average, fathers-to-be gain 14 pounds (6.5 kg) and put on approximately 2 in (5 cm) in waist. For the most part they gain weight due to the increased consumption of high-calorie foods such as chips, pizza, sweets, and beer. OnePoll reports, that every fourth expecting dad has to completely change his wardrobe by the time the baby is born. Full story

No matter how much you are excited about pregnancy, it also brings anxiety and fears. These fears are quite natural, but you can foresee and eliminate some of them. During pregnancy, you must focus on the health of your breast. Even the smallest tumor may start expanding. Unremoved fibroadenoma (benign tumor) may get in the way of lactiferous ducts, hamper lactation and provoke mastitis or other dangerous diseases. Full story

By the end of pregnancy, the pressure on the legs increases by 25-40 pounds and their veins pump 1.5 liters more blood than before. This is why you feel them as if filled with lead and it’s like torture to stand upright for just a short period of time. The following tips will help you prevent varicose veins during pregnancy. Full story

There is one premature delivery per ten births and a minor number of women may give birth as early as after 32 weeks of pregnancy. This increases the risk that a child maybe handicapped and many very preterm babies do not survive. Researchers at the Imperial College in London say premature birth disables a baby not only because underdevelopment but also because the process, triggering premature delivery, influences the fetus directly. They are sure that prevention of premature birth can significantly lower the risk of having a handicapped baby. Full story

During pregnancy, especially with the onset of the third trimester, a belly becomes increasingly larger as a fetus and subjacent tissues grow in size. And as the skin doesn't keep up with the growth, it results in overstretching and torn subcutaneous tissues. These tissue tears emerge as richly pink spots on the skin and then pale into white scars. They are scars indeed, formed in the area of tears which have been restored with connective tissue, as with any external cut. Besides belly, pregnancy stretch marks may appear on hips, buttocks and breasts. Full story

Motherhood at 18 is a challenge, but it is even harder to become a mother of many children in this age. When Sian Robbins found out that she was pregnant with triplets, she was devastated at first. She became mom for the first time when she was only 15; while being pregnant with Jaden she wrote her final exams. Sian was not scared when she found out that she was pregnant again, it was the moment when she was told that she was to have triplets that shocked her. Specialists were concerned about her health and warned her immediately that she had a higher risk of miscarriage unless she aborted one child. Full story

The latest study traces asthma and some other allergies to the patient’s parents feeling uptight and tense during pregnancy. It isn’t the first time that stress was linked to asthma attacks, and now a research conducted at Southern California University concludes that stressed and anxious parents aggravate the condition of the unborn children making them definitely asthma-prone. Full story

I’m so happy, my pregnancy’s out of danger! My blood test shows, there’re no signs of threatened miscarriage! But I’m still recommended to stay at home and lie most of the day, as my symptoms were not good. Full story

A study recently published in Pediatrics delves further into the issue of genetic abnormalities caused by prenatal air pollution exposure. It is known to be an aggravating aspect increasing the possibility of the child developing cancer and asthma. The baby may have a smaller birth weight and head size. Full story

I haven’t written for a few weeks, since I haven’t been well during this time. Unfortunately, what I have is called threatened miscarriage. Full story

Is it when your odds to conceive are at the strongest, or is it when you’ve matured enough to be able to take a proper care of your baby? And while it's up to a person to choose, there are statistics and science nobody could rebuff of. Full story

There are two things that may seriously augment the possibility of the newborn baby developing autism: complications during pregnancy and childbearing at a mature age. The article on autism in the British Journal of Psychiatry asserts that there is a connection between this affliction and the age of the child’s parents, mother’s age being more important. Other causes leading to a higher percentage of autism are previous miscarriages, proteinuria, pre-eclampsia, swelling. Mothers suffering from hypertension or diabetes also run a greater risk of their babies developing autism. Full story

These days, more and more older women decide to have a baby. The reason behind this could be getting married late, making a career and others. Some women are simply not ready for becoming a mom earlier and finally decide to get pregnant after they cross the age 35. But getting pregnant at this age can be problematic due to particular reasons. Most gynecologists agree on the fact that the older the woman, the more difficult it is for her to conceive, bear and give birth to a healthy baby. Pretty often conception problems and pregnancy complications occur. Here are some useful tips for women over 35 wanting to conceive. Full story

Yes, when something goes not quite according to the book during the first trimester, it increases the risk of the mother having a premature child. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) had a paper delivered at its annual meeting to the effect that if mothers suffered from certain complications during the first three months of pregnancy, premature labor may ensue. Full story