Tdap vaccination for pregnant women does not increase risk of autism
A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder...
New test could reduce preterm birth rate by 30 per cent
Researchers at The University of Western Australia and King Edward Memorial Hospital have teamed up with an Australian molecular diagnostics company to develop a new low-cost test to identify women at risk of delivering...
Baby, let’s keep in touch
New mums who keep in touch with their workplace while on maternity leave are more hireable and less likely to experience unconscious bias, research shows.
#newbornlife is often filled with broken sleep, juggling regular feeding...
Gender bias leads to more male births
La Trobe University researchers have found indications that prenatal sex selection is taking place in Victoria, despite legislation that bans the practice.
In the first study of its type in Australia, researchers have revealed that...
Call the midwife if you want a water birth: doctors not so keen
An Australian study of midwives’ views on water immersion during labour and birth shows almost 90 per cent believe the practice should be offered to all pregnant women.
This contrasts with the views of most...
Autism risk determined by health of mum’s gut
The risk of developing autism-spectrum disorders is determined by the mother’s microbiome – the collection of microorganisms that naturally live inside us – during pregnancy, new research from the University of Virginia School of...
How maternal diet could change the infant gut microbiome
UNSW Sydney researchers presenting at the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Conference in Sydney highlighted evidence that suggest changes to a mother’s microbiome, or gut health, brought on by obesity or a high...
Mum’s sleep matters: the effect of sleep on an unborn baby
How much sleep mothers get when they are pregnant can impact on the health of their growing baby, according to a new scoping study conducted by the University of South Australia.
Assessing outcomes relating to...
Use of nicotine during pregnancy may increase risk of sudden infant death syndrome
Nicotine exposure during pregnancy, whether from smoking cigarettes, or nicotine patches and e-cigarettes, increases risk of sudden infant death syndrome – sometimes known as “cot death” - according to new research published in The...
Men’s drug helps women in labour
A drug usually used for erectile dysfunction is helping to improve outcomes during labour in an Australian-first trial in Brisbane.
Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland (MRI-UQ) Professor Sailesh Kumar said Sildenafil – commonly known as...
