Nutraceuticalblog

 Because it doesn’t produce perception-altering effects like THC does, cannabidiol (CBD), one of the active ingredients in cannabis, is deemed to be safe. Indeed, it’s been shown to be an effective treatment for a wide variety of health issues, from reducing epileptic seizures to treating inflammation. Indicative of public belief about the safety of CBD, recently published research using data from the International Cannabis Policy Study found that one in five pregnant women (20.4%) in the US and Canada were using CBD-only products compared to 11.3% of non-pregnant women. Reasons for use included anxiety and depression, pain, headache, and morning sickness. Mifepristone However, new research presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2024 , currently being held in Vienna, suggests that using CBD during pregnancy may not be as safe as it’s considered to be. “Scientific evidence has proven that CBD crosses the placenta, can reach the brain of rodents a...

 Hypertension during pregnancy increases the likelihood of harm to mother and baby, including a higher lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke. Most pregnancy-related deaths stemming from hypertension are preventable, however. Identifying a physician who’s responsible for continuity of care ensures timely diagnosis and treatment of hypertension during pregnancy, which happens in about 16% of hospital deliveries. The AMA is collaborating with other organizations on quality improvement guidance to help clinicians optimize care for patients with this condition. The “ Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package ,” which was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offers a variety of evidence-informed implementation strategies and corresponding tools practices can use to better diagnose and manage this condition during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The change package includes tools and resources for any physician or health professional who cares for peop...

Injectable weight-loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have become household names across the world. But, amongst the buzz surrounding these medicines, reports of a serious side effect soon surfaced. Women described unplanned pregnancies on social media, attributing their ‘Ozempic babies’ to the new drugs. Some women report that they got pregnant while taking the birth-control pill. Others were previously diagnosed as infertile, but say that they conceived after taking a course of the drugs. Scientists say that the reports are plausible. RU 486 They have several hypotheses about why the drugs — which belong to a group known as GLP-1 agonists — boost fertility, but until more data are available, the exact mechanism remains unknown. “We are in a data-free zone when it comes to GLP-1s and fertility and pregnancy,” says Beverly Tchang, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. The GLP-1 drugs deliver a synthetic version of a naturally occurring hormone called glucago...

  Scientists are investigating the idea that GLP-1 might be associated with unexpected pregnancies. Overweight and obese people often experience disruptions in their menstrual cycle caused by hormonal imbalances or inflammation. “The female reproductive system is very sensitive and responsive to metabolic health, energy balance and nutrition,” says Nicole Templeman, a cell biologist at the University of Victoria in Canada. The weight loss triggered by GLP-1 drugs might restore regular ovulation for some women. But she says the effects could also extend beyond weight loss. “GLP-1 receptors have their own effects in the reproductive system that seem to be independent of weight loss,” says Templeman. Indeed, people on GLP-1 drugs have reported pregnancies despite taking oral contraceptives. Cytotec . Eli Lilly, the company that manufactures tirzepatide, advises people on oral contraceptives to use backup methods of birth control for four weeks after starting tirzepatide, or if they in...

 Pregnant women should be tested for diabetes much earlier than the current practice of doing so between 24 and 28 weeks, according to research. Gestational diabetes, a form of the condition that only develops in pregnancy, affects thousands of women in the UK and one in seven pregnancies worldwide. It is the most common medical pregnancy complication and occurs when a hormone made by the placenta stops the body from using insulin effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. Without treatment, gestational diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, increased risk of caesarean sections, mental health conditions and complications for the baby at delivery, alongside health complications for the mother later in life such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In England, like many countries, women at risk of gestational diabetes are generally tested between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Twenty-eight academics from 13 countries have called for testing and treatment befor...

Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats humanity has ever faced. Global warming is part of this threat. Increasing temperatures are linked to deteriorating health, especially in vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and children. Scientists have previously shown that heat exposure increases the risk of preterm birth and stillbirth. New research continues to uncover worrying links to poor outcomes for mothers and their babies. MTP Kit . Congenital abnormalities, hypertension in pregnancy and low birth weight are some of the dangers of increasing heat. One area that has not received as much attention is the long-term effect that heat exposure during pregnancy might have on the baby. To explore this question, we conducted a systematic review of all the existing research on the effects of heat exposure in pregnancy on health and socioeconomic consequences in later life. Systematic reviews are designed to provide the highest level of medical evidence, collatin...

  The prevalence of chronic hypertension in pregnancy in the United States doubled from 2007-2021, but only about 60% of those with the potentially life-threatening condition were treated with antihypertensive medications with mifepristone , according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study of nearly 2 million pregnancies. The study, which was funded by NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), did not explore the reasons for the increase, but rising maternal age, growing obesity rates, and other factors likely played a role, according to researchers. The findings were published today in the journal   Hypertension . “These findings are deeply concerning because of the high rate of U.S. maternal mortality, which is linked to chronic hypertension in pregnancy,” said study lead Stephanie Leonard, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. “Despite the availability of safe and effective treatments for chronic h...

The decision, which came two years after the court rescinded the nationwide guarantee to an abortion, was welcomed by pro-choice activists. The justices decided the plaintiffs, a group of anti-abortion doctors and activists, did not have a legal right to sue. But they left the door open to other attempts to limit the availability of the drug. Mifepristone is one of two drugs used in a medication abortion, now the most common method of terminating pregnancies in the US. The plaintiffs, known as the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, had argued that approval for the drug from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be withdrawn. But during arguments on the case in March, several of the court's nine justices sounded sceptical that any of the plaintiffs had suffered harm from the availability of mifepristone - which is necessary to have the legal standing to sue. "The plaintiffs have sincere legal, moral, ideological objections to elective abortion and to FDA's relaxed r...

  New data from the   2024 Kids Count Data Book   show that West Virginia is still falling behind in overall child well-being, but Mission West Virginia said in a press release that the state has shown improvement in several metrics. In a press release, Mission WV highlighted the continued drop in teen pregnancy in West Virginia—5.5% last year and 56.8% since 2007. Staff from Mission WV’s reproductive health education program, called  THINK , believe that better access to education and healthcare services is partly responsible for the downward trend. “We know that when young people live in communities where sex education and reproductive health care are widely available, they make informed decisions about their sexual health,” Program Director Jill Gwilt said in the Mission WV release. “We’re thrilled to see such positive outcomes as a result of educators, schools, and healthcare entities working together to ensure that young people in our state have every opportunit...

  Acetaminophen is considered the safest over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer available during pregnancy, and studies show that 50%-65% of women in North America and Europe have taken the analgesic during pregnancy. A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored the relationship between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and language outcomes in early childhood. It found that increasing acetaminophen use was associated with language delays.  The findings are reported in the journal Pediatric Research.  Earlier studies have found associations between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and poorer child communication skills. But those studies used measures of language development that were less precise than the methods applied in the current study, said Megan Woodbury, who led the research as a graduate student with U. of I.  comparative biosciences  professor emerita  Susan Schantz . The work was conducted as ...

 University of New Mexico researchers have found that even low to moderate alcohol use by pregnant patients may contribute to subtle changes in their babies’ prenatal development, including lower birth length and a shorter duration of gestation. In a new paper published in the journal Alcohol Clinical & Experimental Research, a team led by Ludmila Bakhireva, MD, PhD, MPH, professor and assistant dean for Clinical and Translational Research in the UNM College of Pharmacy, also reported some sex-related differences in the effects of drinking during pregnancy on the developing baby. “In exploratory analyses, the effect on gestational age was more pronounced in male infants, and for birth length it actually was stronger in females,” Bakhireva said. She cautioned that these effects should be interpreted with caution because of the study’s limited statistical power to conduct sex-specific analyses and the challenges of accounting for other contributing factors. The paper reported on ...