During pregnancy, a fetus is protected from the outside world by the amniotic sac, a tough, fluid-filled membrane that encircles it. According to the University of Alabama, the membranes rupture before labor starts in around 10 percent of...
According to a 2009 study published in "Clinics in Perinatology," C-sections now account for about 32 percent of deliveries, compared to less than five percent in 1970. Deliveries in older women, women with multiple fetus pregnancies due to...
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy, or AFLP, is a pregnancy complication which occurs in conjunction with preeclampsia 50 percent of the time, according to Dr. Britt Drake of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It is also seen as a separate...
Proper growth and development of a fetus while in utero is crucial to later health. A variety of factors may interfere with proper growth and development, and garlic has been shown experimentally to provide protective benefits. Clinical studies...
Casein is a protein found in dairy products such as milk, according to Medline Plus. This protein is found in food, but is taken in supplement form by people who want to boost muscle. A study in the 2003 "Journal of Physiology" led by researcher...
Milk protein allergy, also called cow's milk protein allergy or CMPA, results from an immune reaction to one or more milk proteins. According to a September 2010 review paper in the "Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine" by Dr. C....
Potassium is one of the body's seven vital electrolytes, according to Medical News Today. Electrolytes regulate nerve and muscle function, and potassium in particular is essential for controlling muscle contractions, including heartbeats. The...
If you have Type 1 or 2 diabetes before you become pregnant--or develop gestational diabetes while pregnant--you can pose certain effects and risks on your unborn baby, especially if your diabetes is not monitored and well controlled throughout...
Smoking while pregnant is harmful to you and your baby. There is no known "safe" number of cigarettes that a woman can smoke while pregnant without causing damage. The risks increase with every cigarette smoked. Therefore, it may not be enough to...
Selenium is essential to brain function. Increases in dietary selenium, especially in deficient people, improve mood and depressive symptoms. Research hints that selenium may be used in the future as a preventive or in treatment of depression and...
An abnormally high number of platelets in pregnancy is far less common than low platelet levels. High platelet levels are either essential, or primary, meaning that an excess of platelets are being made in the bone marrow. Reactive, or secondary,...
A labor and delivery doctor is a physician who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, a field commonly referred to as OB/GYN. These doctors have graduated from medical school and have completed an additional four years of training in...
Most fetal growth follows a prescribed pattern. But between 3 to 10 percent of fetuses develop intrauterine growth retardation, often referred to as IUGR, the University of California San Francisco reports. Babies with IUGR, who are smaller and...
Whole books are written on what women should do and not do when they're pregnant. For women who want to have a healthy pregnancy but don't have time to read all the books, a few essential bits of information increase the odds of having a healthy...
According to a 2009 study published in "Clinics in Perinatology," the rate of Cesarean section, commonly referred to as C-section, hovers around 30 percent in the United States, compared to about 5 percent in 1970. According to University of...
During pregnancy, health concerns rush to the forefront for many mothers. A number of vitamins and minerals play an important role during pregnancy, and through diet and supplements mothers are eager to ingest them. Understanding the key benefits...
It is possible to determine the gender of a baby though ultrasound technology, and this is the most frequently used method by medical professionals because it is the least invasive. Though the baby's sex can be evident early in the second...
Cerebral palsy can be caused by genetic abnormalities, an injury to the brain, abnormal development during the formation of the brain, and maternal or fetal infections, says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The...
Depression can greatly reduce your quality of life. About 10 percent of Americans suffer from depression, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Fortunately, depression is a treatable illness with the use of antidepressant...
Aquatic exercise can help a pregnant woman manage her weight, increase her fitness level and reduce uncomfortable symptoms, but she must obtain approval from her doctor. Aquatic exercise is not associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, say...
Abdominal pain and light bleeding occur frequently in pregnancy. As many as 20 to 30 percent of women bleed in early pregnancy, the American Pregnancy Association states. The significance of these symptoms can range from normal and harmless to...
Bacterial vaginosis, the most common gynecological infection, is characterized by a foul-smelling vaginal discharge caused by an overgrowth of non-peroxide-producing bacteria. This infection is usually not sexually transmitted, but frequent...
Strep B, also called Group B Streptococcus or GBS, is a bacterium found in the vaginal or rectal areas of 10 to 30 percent of healthy adults and does not present a reason for concern. However, if passed from mother to child during birth, GBS can...
Several skin rashes that occur during pregnancy are abnormal and potentially harmful to the fetus. Whenever an unusual rash occurs in pregnancy, medical attention should be sought as soon as possible. Some of these rashes may be harmful to the fetus.
Gardnerella vaginalis is one of a number of bacteria including Mycoplasma hominis and several anaerobic organisms that cause the bacterial vaginosis syndrome characterized by a fishy smelling and white vaginal discharge, according to "Harrison's...
The cervix is the structure at the upper end of the vagina that dilates to allow a baby to enter the birth canal. Dr. William Rich of the University of California states there are two types of cervical cancer, adenocarcinoma of the lining of the...
A marginal placenta previa describes a placenta that lies within 2cm of the cervical os but does not overlie the os. Treatment depends on whether or not the woman has bleeding, how far along she is in her pregnancy and whether the previa persists...
An organ of life, the placenta nourishes the unborn baby. The placenta manufactures several hormones that support pregnancy, such as growth hormones, estrogen, progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which triggers a positive...
Cytotec (misoprostol) is a prostaglandin (hormone-like) medication that has several uses. Cytotec is often used "off label" to induce labor, meaning that the drug is not FDA approved for use in pregnancy because it hasn't been adequately tested in...
