News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms March 25, 2009

News to know:

Single embryo best for infertility treatment
Implanting a single embryo is the cheapest and most effective way for women to have a healthy baby through fertility treatment,according to a study in Human Reproduction .
Researchers compared the outcomes for 1,510 women seeking fertility treatment at a single clinic between 1995 and 1999 when double embryo transfer was more common and from 2000 to 2004 when single embryo transfers were more widespread.
They found that more babies were born at term for women who received a single embryo, with birth rates per woman of nearly 42 percent compared to about 37 percent for those who received multiple embryos.


Study: Anesthesia in infancy linked to later disabilities
There is a link between exposure to anesthesia during surgery in infancy and learning disabilities later in life, according to a study published in Anesthesiology.
Mayo Clinic researchers studied a group of more than 5,000 children born between 1976and 1982. Researchers tracked the number of operations each youngster underwent before age 4, as well as scores on reading, writing and math tests, administered once a year from elementary school through high school. Children with two or more exposures had a 60% increased chance of developing a learning disability compared with babies who had not had any operations.
Researchers cautioned they were unsure whether it was an underlying condition that may have required surgery and precipitated the learning problems.

24,000 Fisher-Price high chairs recalled
About 24,000 3-in-1 high chairs, manufactured in Mexico and imported by Fisher-Price of East Aurora, N.Y., because the seat can fall backward from the frame if the release is unlatched while a child is inside.
Details: by phone at 800-432-5437; by Web at http://www.service.mattel.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.
Pacifiers
About 2,900 Baby Necessities pacifiers, manufactured in China and imported by OKK Trading of Los Angeles, Calif., because they failed federal safety tests. The nipples can separate from the base and pose a choking hazard.
Details: by phone at 877-655-8697; by Web at http://www.okktrading.com or http://www.cpsc.gov.

Most states lag on teen dating violence laws
Many states don’t treat teen assaults with proper seriousness, according to Break the Cycle, a teen-violence prevention organization.
In a recent report, the organization gave A grades to only five states. Twelve states got D’s and 11 failed.
Grades were based on comparisons between the legal treatment of adult victims of domestic violence and teen victims of dating violence. States automatically failed if protective orders were unavailable for minors.

News of Interest for Late-in-Life Moms August 11, 2008

News to know:

10 infant deaths tied to cold meds
At least 10 infant deaths in Arizona in 2006 were linked to over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, researchers said.
The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, do not prove that the medications caused or contributed to the infants’ deaths, but they underscore a recent warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that parents not give cough and cold remedies to children younger than 2.


Pregorexic? Are some pregnant women putting their fetuses at risk?
Some mothers-to-be are embarking on dangerous diet and exercise programs to prevent too much weight gain during pregnancy.
FOXNews.com managing health editor Dr. Manny Alvarez said he's "absolutely" had to tell some of his pregnant patients to eat more. An article in the Daily Mail discussed the growing problem of "pregorexics" in England.
Gaining too little weight during pregnancy is associated with poor fetal growth, lower birth weight and the chance of a baby's being born prematurely, according to a recent study.

Study casts doubts on fertility treatments
A new study in the British Medical Journal questioned the use of two common infertility treatments for couples who have unexplained problems having children.
Researchers tested the effectiveness of a drug that stimulates ovulation and artificial insemination against doing nothing in 580 couples who had no obvious reasons for their inability to conceive. Among the three groups, researchers found little difference in the numbers of couples who had babies.

Dim economy drives women to donate eggs for profit
As the nation's economy is slumping, some fertility clinics say interest in donating has surged.
An egg donor is typically compensated between $5,000 and $10,000. Experts say that although most women donate out of desire to help infertile couples, the financial allure is real.