World Preeclampsia Day brings focus on maternal health

The first-ever World Preeclampsia Day took place last month, with a number of maternal health organisations joining forces in a bid to raise awareness of preeclampsia as a life-threatening complication of pregnancy. Nearly 76,000 mothers and 500,000 babies worldwide...

Device that could curb maternal deaths wins funding

A device that could save the lives of women all over the world by treating postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) has received significant funding, and could be available widely soon. The University of Liverpool in the UK has been awarded £850,000 from the National Institute...

The Internet: a help or hindrance to high-risk pregnancies?

A normal pregnancy throws up endless questions. About what’s safe, about what’s advisable to eat or drink, what activities you can do, and what (if any) medicines you can take – and many other things too. So where do women turn? Less than a generation ago, pregnant...

The stigma of taking medications for sickness in pregnancy

A good friend of mine developed appendicitis at week 17 of her pregnancy. She had an anesthetic, the appendix removed via surgery, and then she was pumped full of both IV and oral painkillers and anti-emetics. At no point during her weeklong stay in the hospital did...

Obesity and pregnancy – the new taboo

The staggering increase in prevalence of obesity in the Western world has been mirrored by a similar growth in maternal obesity, making it one of the most important preventable risk factors for pregnancy. In addition, a growing swell of research indicates that...