Early in the first trimester of pregnancy, certain blood tests are done to ensure that mother and fetus are healthy. All pregnant women, regardless of their medical history or genetic background, will undergo initial blood testing. The American...
For Women Under 35: Triple Screen--This is a blood test that is done between 15 and 20 weeks. The test screens for Down syndrome and spina bifida, two common birth defects. The test is usually covered by insurance, and the results usually return...
Spina bifida is a birth defect that affects the spinal cord. There are two forms of spina bifida--spina bifida occulta and spina bifida manifesta. Spina bifida occulta is the more common form of the defect that may affect as many as 24 percent of...
There are many chemicals in the hair products used today around the world. Most chemicals are used for wetting, emulsifying or preserving ingredients in products. The most common chemicals used in hair care products are parabens, propylene glycol...
The most common carbonated beverage is soda, but drinking too much during pregnancy may not be healthy. Most obstetricians recommend limiting your soda intake for your health and the health of your developing infant. Each pregnancy is different,...
CVS stands for chorionic villus sampling, which is a tissue test performed to detect and diagnose birth defects in unborn fetuses. If you're pregnant, your doctor might recommend a CVS if you have certain risk factors. Some potentially serious...
A marriage license is required in all 50 states. A blood test used to be one of the requirements for obtaining a marriage license, but many states have now dropped this requirement, and as of 2010, blood tests for certain diseases that could be...
Retinoids are a class of topical prescription medications derived from vitamin A that doctors may recommend to treat acne or signs of superficial aging, such as wrinkles, says the American Academy of Dermatology. Although retinoids can be...
Within stem cells lie the capability to create every part of your body you need to live. From the time you were conceived, these versatile little cells replicated and developed your organs, tissues and functions. Through research, scientists hope...
Red yeast rice is a supplement made by fermenting rice with a certain kind of yeast. These supplements are widely available in markets, health food stores and online. The most popular use for red yeast rice is to treat high cholesterol in place of...
The life-changing decision to conceive a child comes with a variety of emotions and worries. Your prenatal health, both physical and mental, needs to be in order before you become pregnant. The preparation gives your baby the best chance at a...
To acquire your much-needed nutrients, you need to eat balanced meals. If you have not been eating balanced meals, you may want to get tested for vitamin deficiencies. Testing at the blood-level for your vitamin needs generally involves a blood...
You don't have to wait for a child to arrive to establish who the father is--or isn't. The same DNA paternity testing used for children after they are born is available for fetuses in utero. The challenge is in getting a DNA sample from the fetus....
While many pregnancies proceed through the nine months without a hitch, others are complicated by maternal or fetal disorders. Prenatal testing is done to prevent or treat complications that may impact the mother or baby. Some prenatal testing is...
Pregnancy and its endpoint, labor, mark the start of parenthood, a new phase of life, for millions of women worldwide each year. During this exciting time, the baby develops from a fertilized egg into an infant ready to be born. After a gestation...
Estriol levels are part of a normal prenatal screening schedule for birth defect risks. Coupled with measurement of alpha-fetoprotein, or AFP, human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, and inhibin-A, it can fairly reliably detect increased risk for...
When you discover you are pregnant, one of your first curiosities may be the gender of your baby. There are many myths concerning how you can determine your baby's sex such as carrying the baby low in the abdomen indicates a boy, and slow-growing...
Pregnant women are regularly preoccupied with wondering exactly what their baby looks like at that moment. While you don't have a window to your womb, medical science has taught us a lot about development in pregnancy. By knowing what is going on...
An omphalocele is a defect in the abdominal wall that allows the internal organs to protrude into the umbilical cord, sometimes covered by a membranous sac. If your child has an omphalocele, it will probably be diagnosed during a prenatal...
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple births are becoming more and more common. This may be for a number of reasons, including advanced maternal age and the increasing availability of fertility treatments. Years ago, multiple births were often a...
Many couples are choosing to postpone starting a family until much later in life these days. The advantages of this scenario are several---older parents may have greater financial security, less job-related stress, are more likely to own a home,...
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, is a hormone produced during pregnancy. It used to stimulate ovulation prior to egg implantation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. In men, it stimulates sperm production, and in boys, it has been...
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) paternity testing can be useful in determining the identity of the father of a child. Testing can be performed before or after the child is born using blood or tissue samples obtained from both the possible father and...
During the second trimester of pregnancy, women have the opportunity to have a blood test to screen for birth defects. This is called the maternal serum triple or quadruple screen. This test only involves drawing blood from the mother and does not...
Neural tube defects are birth defects that start in the womb during the formation in a developing fetus of the neural tube, which eventually becomes the brain, spinal cord and associated bone and tissue. High levels of vitamin B6 are not...
Why some babies develop an omphalocele is not entirely understood. Consequently, there is no definite way to prevent one from occurring in your baby. That said, some research suggests that taking prenatal vitamins can significantly reduce your...
Prenatal screening assesses your health and the development of your baby before she is born. The tests help your doctor or midwife diagnose problems with the baby's growth or development early in the pregnancy when interventions are possible. Some...
Revlimid, manufactured by Celgene, is a derivative of of thalidomide that has extended survival in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. Some oncologists use it in newly diagnosed patients as well reports the International Myeloma Foundation....
The root of the Panax ginseng plant, also known as Chinese, Korean or Asian ginseng, has a long-standing history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. This medicinal herb has been historically classified as an adaptogen, or a compound that...
