Therapist Unlimited Blog

A recent medical study has shown that pregnant women who work on their first-trimester are putting the welfare of their baby at higher risk.
Based on the research conducted by medical experts pregnant women who work on the first three months of their pregnancy are associated with reduced birth weight and an increased risk of delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
The significant pieces of information were taken from the study made on 8,266 pregnant women in Amsterdam, Netherlands who all work on the first-trimester of their pregnancy.

Pregnant women should stop working or reduce their workload for the sake of their incoming babies.

The medical experts found out that workweek of 32 hours or more and high job strain were significantly associated with low birth weight.
The team of experts also discovered that the combination of high job strain and a long workweek resulted in the largest birth weight reduction and the highest risk of delivering an SGA infant.
To avoid harm and complications to their incoming offspring, the experts recommended that women temporarily stop working while they are still pregnant.
The experts said if ever they could not really stop working it would be best that she reduce her workload and make it minimal to ensure the well-being of her baby will be sufficiently protected from harm.

Pregnant women around the world should avoid exposure to environmental pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) since it can adversely affect a child’s intelligence quotient or IQ.
Based on the study conducted by the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health it was learned that PAHs are chemicals released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic substances such as tobacco.
It is said that in urban areas motor vehicles are a major source of PAHs.
According to the study, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a component of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several private foundations, children exposed to high levels of PAHs in New York City had full scale and verbal IQ scores that were 4.31 and 4.67 points lower, respectively than those of less exposed children.
Researchers reveal high PAH levels were defined as above the median of 2.26 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3).
Frederica Perera, DrPH, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and director of the CCCEH at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and study lead author explained their findings are of concern because these decreases in IQ could be educationally meaningful in terms of school performance.
Perera added the good news is that they have seen a decline in air pollution exposure in our cohort since 1998, testifying to the importance of policies to reduce traffic congestion and other sources of fossil fuel combustion byproducts.
The study included children who were born to non-smoking Black and Dominican American women age 18 to 35 who resided in Washington Heights, Harlem or the South Bronx in New York.
The children were followed from in utero to 5 years of age.

Pregnant women around the world should avoid exposure to urban air pollutants to protect the IQ of their children.

The mothers wore personal air monitors during pregnancy to measure exposure to PAHs and they responded to questionnaires.
At 5 years of age, 249 children were given an intelligence test known as the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of the Intelligence, which provides verbal, performance and full-scale IQ scores.
The researchers developed models to calculate the associations between prenatal PAH exposure and IQ.
The researchers added other factors such as second-hand smoke exposure, lead, mother’s education and the quality of the home caretaking environment could also affect the IQ of the baby.
The study has shown that participants exposed to air pollution levels below the average were designated as having "low exposure," while those exposed to pollution levels above the average were identified as "high exposure."
A total of 140 children were classified as having high PAH exposure.
Furthermore, Perera said the decrease in full-scale IQ score among the more exposed children is similar to that seen with low-level lead exposure.
Perera added this finding is of concern because IQ is an important predictor of future academic performance, and PAHs are widespread in urban environments and throughout the world.
She said fortunately, airborne PAH concentrations can be reduced through currently available controls, alternative energy sources and policy interventions.

Those women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer through radiotherapy on their left breast better be careful.
This developed after medical researchers have found pieces of evidence that breast cancer patients are at risk of heart disease after radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy is a treatment use to those patients who have had breast conservation surgery, and those who are at high risk of the cancer returning after mastectomy.
The researchers discovered that when the breast tumor is on the left side, a small part of the heart is within the treatment range which can lead to heart disease.
Dr. Paul Symonds, of the University of Leicester’s Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, made the study involving 149 patients who had undergone radiotherapy for breast cancer.
Symonds revealed after treatment some patients developed red dilated blood vessels (telangiectasia) on the breast or chest wall, previously thought to be unsightly rather than of any medical significance.
He said based on the study, only those who had radiotherapy on the left side developed heart problems, which occurred between three and 12 years after treatment.
He added over half of those who developed heart problems showed signs of telangiectasia.

Women undergoing radiotherapy to treat breast cancer need to be vigilant since the medical procedure could lead to a heart disease.
 

The medical expert believes these figures are significant enough to suggest that telangiectasia could be a marker to predict the risk of heart disease after radiotherapy for breast cancer on the left side.
The medical expert added ultimately this research could lead to a test to predict which patients will develop severe radiotherapy side-effects.
He said clinicians can then use this information to advice patients of their risk before treatment and help the radiotherapist give the most appropriate treatment.
Meanwhile, Pamela Goldberg, Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Campaign, which funded the study said, "More and more women are living with breast cancer as a long term manageable condition rather than an incurable disease.
Goldberg said it is therefore vital that treatment not only improves the chance of survival but does not lead to other negative health consequences and maintains a good quality of life.

A recent medical study has shown that those frail elderly women with unexplained weight loss could benefit from supplementation with the body’s appetite-stimulating hormone, ghrelin, or with similar agents.
Medical experts revealed unexplained weight loss is a common problem in older adults.
The medical condition if not treated early can lead to the development of frailty, a debilitating syndrome of declines across multiple body systems.
The lead researcher Anne Cappola, MD, ScM, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia revealed frail individuals have much higher rates of functional decline, hospitalization and death than healthier people their age.
Cappola said there are no good medical treatments for frailty or unintentional weight loss at this time.
Cappola and her team reported that based on their study they discovered that blood levels of growth hormone and ghrelin were higher at every time point during the ghrelin infusion than during the placebo infusion.

Appetite-stimulating hormone could soon be used to treat frailty in older women.

A recent medical study has shown that those frail elderly women with unexplained weight loss could benefit from supplementation with the body’s appetite-stimulating hormone, ghrelin, or with similar agents.
Medical experts revealed unexplained weight loss is a common problem in older adults.
The medical condition if not treated early can lead to the development of frailty, a debilitating syndrome of declines across multiple body systems.
The lead researcher Anne Cappola, MD, ScM, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia revealed frail individuals have much higher rates of functional decline, hospitalization and death than healthier people their age.
Cappola said there are no good medical treatments for frailty or unintentional weight loss at this time.
Cappola and her team reported that based on their study they discovered that blood levels of growth hormone and ghrelin were higher at every time point during the ghrelin infusion than during the placebo infusion.
The researchers said the only side effect of treatment was a transient sensation of warmth that four women experienced during the ghrelin infusion.
Furthermore, the researchers said their study is the first to show an improvement in appetite and growth hormone levels after administration of the hormone ghrelin to frail older women with unexplained weight loss.
The researchers said future studies should examine the potential therapeutic role of ghrelin or similar agents (ghrelin mimetic agents) in this population.
 

Pregnant women around the world better be careful since their babies would most likely suffer autism if they experience some complications during pregnancy.
Based on the study conducted by trusted researchers they discovered six pregnancy-related factors that could lead to autism on their children.
The researchers found that the factors most strongly associated with an increased autism risk are:
- Being born to an older mother or father.
- Having a mother who was born abroad.
- Having a mother who experienced bleeding during pregnancy.
- Having a mother who experienced gestational diabetes.
- Having a mother who used medication during pregnancy.
- Being the first born - or later born in families where there are three or more children.
The researchers explained increased maternal age might be associated with autism because of a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities in eggs.
On the other hand, mothers who are born in another country may not have natural resistance to infections in the country where they give birth, which may increase the risk for autism.

Pregnant women should take precautions to avoid complications during pregnancy to avoid chances that their babies will suffer from autism.

Moving to another country may also put women under stress, which could increase their chances of having a child who develops autism.
Bleeding during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and medication use are also associated with increased autism risk. Bleeding can cause foetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain of an unborn child). Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy experience hormonal and metabolic changes, which may affect their baby’s health and development. Foetal development may also be affected by some medications, which can cross the placenta during pregnancy.
Furthermore, the researchers said the association between birth order and autism risk is unclear.
However, children with autism are more likely to be the first-born in families with only two children. In larger families with three or more children, they are more likely to be born later.
 It is possible that parents decide not to have more children after one has developed autism.
The researchers said there was "insufficient evidence" to point to any one prenatal factor as being particularly significant.
However, they said there is some evidence to suggest that exposure to pregnancy complications in general may increase the risk of autism.

Women around the world should strive hard to achieve ample time of sleep ideally eight hours a day to avoid chances of suffering from heart related medical problems.
According to the research conducted by the University of Warwick and University College London it was discovered that women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.
The researchers have found out that levels of inflammatory markers vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.
The researchers revealed they found Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker related to coronary heart disease, were significantly lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours as compared with seven hours.
Lead author of the study, Associate Professor of Biochemical Medicine at Warwick Medical School Michelle Miller said short-term sleep deprivation studies have shown that inflammatory markers are elevated in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting that inflammatory mechanisms may play a role in the cardiovascular risk associated with sleep deprivation.
The lead researcher said their study could provide some insight into a potential mechanism for the observation in previous studies, which indicates an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in individuals who have less than five hours sleep per night, and increased risk of non-cardiovascular death in long sleepers.

Women need to have adequate sleep to avoid suffering from heart related diseases.

She said this is the first large-scale study to describe the associations between measures of inflammation and sleep duration in both men and women.
To get the data, Miller said they carefully evaluated 4,600 white participants from the University College London-based Whitehall II cohort study; 73% were men.
She said participants between the ages of 35 and 55 years were recruited between 1985 and 1988 from 20 London-based civil service departments.
Data for this study is from the phase 3 follow-up (1991-1993). Sleep duration was determined by subjective questionnaires, and general health was assessed during a screening examination.
Furthermore, Miller said the findings add to the growing body of evidence, which suggests that there is a non-linear relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and duration of sleep. She said her team fully support the idea that short sleep is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk and that the association between sleep duration and cardiovascular risk factors is markedly different in men and women.

 

The women population in this planet need to be extra careful since according to a recent medical study there are more prone to migraines than men.
Migraines are the constricting of blood vessels in the brain that cause intense, recurring vascular headaches.
Medical reports state that migraine headaches affect millions of Americans each year they are the most common type of headache that sends patients running to their doctor’s office.
According to research, like other forms of headaches, women suffer from migraines more frequently than men do.
It is said that approximately three out of four migraine sufferers are women.
Researchers have often cited hormones as a possible explanation.
Based on the data gathered by
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than half of migraines in women transpire right before, during or after a woman has her menstrual period.
In addition, although some women experience migraines throughout their cycle, menstrual-related migraines may explain one trigger of the condition.
The researchers noted right before a woman’s cycle begins, the levels of estrogen and progesterone drop sharply.
This decrease in hormone levels may initiate migraine headaches because estrogen has been shown to control brain chemicals that affect pain sensation in women.
The medical experts revealed although hormones are unlikely to explain the entire picture, a recent study revealed that women with a history of migraines might be less likely to develop breast cancer than other women.
Because breast cancer has been linked to higher lifetime exposure to estrogen, the fact that migraines are more common when there is a drop in estrogen may support the hormone theory.

Latest medical data has shown that more women are suffering from migraines than men are.

The symptoms, duration and frequency of migraines can vary greatly from person to person. They may be debilitating for some people. Often times, migraines can come along with sensory warning signs such as seeing flashes of light, blind spots or feeling nauseous (with or without vomiting). Other symptoms include:
– Intense, throbbing pain on one, or sometimes, both sides of the head.
– Feeling "pins and needles" in a limb.
– Sensitivity to light or loud sounds.
– Pain that worsens with physical activity and/or interferes with daily functioning.
In some people, the pain lasts for a short period of time; other patients describe lingering symptoms that can last up to three days. In addition, some people get migraines on a regular basis, yet others may experience them much less frequently.
Currently, there is no cure for migraine headaches, but the symptoms can be managed effectively with pharmaceuticals and lifestyle changes made under medical supervision
In addition to pharmaceutical treatments, migraine sufferers should not discount the value of lifestyle changes. Many experts recommend keeping a diary to record potential triggers, so patients can attempt to avoid them.
Behavioral changes that have been proven effective include limiting caffeine and alcohol, engaging in regular physical activity and coping with stress.
 

According to a recent medical study, gaining weight during pregnancy is not only normal but also necessary as well among women.
Based on the data gathered by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) it was discovered that gaining weight in pregnancy is not only normal, it is necessary.
The mother’s body has to nourish the growing baby. Her body needs to take on more fluid to support the extra circulation the placenta and baby need.
Some of this added weight will usually be lost as soon as the baby is born.
Institute’s Director, Professor Peter Sawicki said often, the extra effort women have to make to look after a new baby and breastfeed after giving birth means the kilos just melt away without effort.
Sawicki added about half of all women; the weight will not go away as quickly.

Pregnant women do not need to worry about their weight gain since it is necessary during pregnancy.

The Institute analysed recent evidence and new US national guidelines on weight gain in pregnancy, and the message is clear: women who have become overweight or more overweight during pregnancy have a higher chance of ongoing weight problems if they are not back to a normal weight within six months or a year after having a baby.
The institute director explained avoiding weight problems after birth means already being careful about balanced and healthy eating during pregnancy.
The institute director added it is not a good idea to ‘eat for two’ in pregnancy and forget about your weight until after the baby is born if you are at all overweight - or prone to overweight - already. He added women need to eat well enough for themselves and their baby, but pregnancy is not a time to overeat.
Moreover, Sawicki said exercise is important when people are overweight, but after pregnancy, a lot of exercise does not necessarily help a great deal.
Sawicki and his team concluded that the best ways to lose weight after childbirth is balanced diet with or without extra exercise.
The researchers said very strenuous exercise programmes soon after childbirth did not lead to extra weight loss.
This means that women do not need to have a bad conscience if they take it easy in the busy weeks after giving birth.
However, Sawicki stresses that even though the birth of a baby can throw life completely out of kilter, it is important for women not to leave it too long before they start looking after themselves again.
 

Pregnant women around the world need to be careful since they are at higher risk of being inflicted with the deadly H1N1 A influenza virus.
Based on the research conducted by the Motherisk Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto and the Japan Drug Information Institute in Pregnancy in Tokyo,
Japan researchers discovered that those in the third trimester are at high risk of serious complications from the H1N1 A influenza virus.
To treat and prevent pregnant women from suffering the deadly  H1N1 A influenza virus, medical experts recommended the intake of oseltamivir, which appears to be the drug of choice because there are more data on its safety in pregnancy.
Dr. Shinya, Head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at SickKids revealed the groups at high risk of flu-related complications from the novel H1N1 influenza are the same as those for seasonal flu consisting of pregnant women, children under 5 years, the elderly and others such as those with chronic lung conditions.

Pregnant women need to be extra careful these days since they are at higher risk in the deadly H1N1 A Influenza virus.

Meanwhile, medical experts said only small amounts of oseltamivir are excreted into human milk.
The researchers said if an infant is breastfed by the mother on these drugs and needs treatment, the recommended dose of oseltamivir should be given to the infant.
To avoid being inflicted with the deadly disease it would be best for pregnant women to engage in healthy activities such as eating nutritious foods and having enough sleep.

Recent studies have shown that there is no truth to claim to some men that when they get drunk they could not anymore guess the exact age of a woman.
Based on a data gathered in the research it was discovered that that drinking alcohol and use of make-up had a minimal effect on the men’s perception of the ages of the photographed women.
Dr. Vincent Egan who wanted to determine if there is truth to the defence of those men accused of having unlawful sex with a minor that they were not aware that the girl was underage did the study.
To ensure truthfulness, Egan also look into other factors that may influence his perception would also be taken into account, such as how much alcohol he had drunk or how much make-up the girl was wearing.
To get the data, he wanted Egan asked 240 people to look at photos of women and then comment on their age and attractiveness.
All the participants were heterosexual, aged between 18 and 70 with an equal split between men and women. Half of the participants had consumed alcohol before the task.

According to a latest study, most drunk men could still recognize the age of women despite their drunkenness.

The participants looked at photographs of ten young women (aged 17). Some of the photographs were digitally altered to give the faces a younger or older appearance and in both some make-up was applied digitally.
After looking into the photographs, Egan said he found out majority of them could still recognize the age of the women in the photographs.
Egan explained the study suggests that alcohol consumption and make-up use do not interfere with how old we perceive someone to be.
He said another interesting finding was that overall participants who drank alcohol actually rated all the women in the photos as less attractive (compared to the participants who had not drunk alcohol).
He said this seemingly flies in the face of the commonly held notion of ‘beer goggles’.