Tag: Pregnancy

Pregnant Women at Increasing Risk for Chronic Conditions

Pregnant women today are more likely to have chronic conditions that could cause life-threatening complications than at any other time in the past decade, a new study suggests.

 

The study looked at a national sample of more than 8 million childbirth deliveries over 10 years and analyzed the how common chronic conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and substance-abuse disorders were in the mothers.

 

Although frequency of these conditions increased over time among every socio-economic group studied, the largest spike occurred among women from rural and low-income communities and among patients with deliveries funded by Medicaid.

 

West Virginia is the third poorest state in the union and a third of the population are on Medicaid.

 

The study was done by researchers at Michigan Medicine. The findings were published in the official publication of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Marshall Health, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Obese Couples May Have Harder Time Getting Pregnant

A new study has found that couples in which both partners are obese may take more than 50 percent longer to become pregnant than couples who aren’t obese.

Most studies about fertility and body weight have focused on one partner or the other – obese women are less likely to get pregnant than normal weight women and obese men have been associated with lower sperm counts.

But this study, published online Friday in the journal Human Reproduction, found that the weight of both partners in a couple probably comes into play when trying to get pregnant. The study’s authors say that fertility specialists may want to take weight into account when counseling couples. Reducing weight, they say, may help reduce the time it takes to conceive.

The study focused on couples in the general population – not those undergoing infertility treatments and was produced by the National Institutes of Health.

More than a third of West Virginians are obese, according to a 2016 report from the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation, Charleston Area Medical Center and WVU Medicine.

Smoking Rates Decline in Pregnant W.Va. Women

New data from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources shows fewer women in the state are smoking while pregnant now compared to a few years ago. 

DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health says the rate of West Virginia women who smoke while pregnant fell by four percent between 2014 and 2016. 

BPH calls the rate a key public health indicator because smoking contributes to premature birth, certain birth defects and infant death.

The decline is similar to the decreasing rate of teens in the state who smoke. Between 2000 and 2015, that rate dropped from nearly 39 to 16 percent.

West Virginia’s Chief Public Health Officer Rahul Gupta attributes the decline of smoking rates among both groups to comprehensive efforts, including education programs.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

First Case of Zika Virus in W.Va. Pregnant Woman

The first case of Zika virus in a pregnant woman has been reported in West Virginia. The diagnosis brings the state’s total confirmed cases to eight.

State commissioner for public health Rahul Gupta says all eight cases of Zika reported in West Virginia were contracted during travel to countries where the virus is active.  Gupta says the risk of contracting Zika in West Virginia remains low, but residents should be cautious about mosquito bites.

“I think it’s important to understand and keep in perspective that this is a virus, an infection that’s happened in about eight of our residents all of whom have traveled abroad and as a result have acquired the infection,” he said.

Gupta urged caution for women of childbearing age traveling abroad to areas where Zika is endemic. A few tips? Use protection, delay pregnancy until you’ve been back eight or more weeks and protect yourself against bites while you are there with insect repellent and appropriate clothing. Zika in the early stages of pregnancy is known to be associated with birth defects.

The current case is being monitored by the office of Maternal, Child and Family Health through the U.S. Zika Pregnancy registry.  36 people in West Virginia have been tested for the virus so far this year. 

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

Study: Antiviral Medication Beneficial for Pregnant Women Hospitalized with Flu

Pregnant women hospitalized with the flu, especially severe cases, should be treated early with antiviral medication, according to a study published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The study included 865 pregnant women who were hospitalized with flu from 14 states. Sixty-three of these patients, or about 7 percent, had severe illness.

The findings suggest that hospital stays for pregnant women with the flu averaged five days shorter than similar patients treated later. A press release said that past studies have suggested that flu antiviral therapy is safe and beneficial for pregnant women.

The study also suggests that vaccination for pregnant women helps to prevent influenza and associated complications for themselves and their infants. The Centers for Disease Control recommends an annual flu vaccination for everyone six months of age and older.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

New Recommendations Issued for Adult Depression Screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued new depression screening recommendations that focus on pregnant and postpartum women.

The report was published earlier this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It updates 2009 recommendations for adult depression screenings.

“Pregnant women are a vulnerable population especially in the postpartum period,” said Doctor Leo Brancazio, chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University School of Medicine.

“People have heard of post-partum blues, which actually doesn’t do what happens to many women justice” he said. “There is a clinical entity called post-partum depression that has to do with the change in the woman’s life, the change that her body just went through and some of the hormonal changes that occur right after delivery that make many women at high risk for suffering a major depressive episode.”

He said pregnant women were not excluded from the 2009 recommendations, but they were not specifically highlighted either, despite their high-risk status.

Screenings include a standard Patient Health Questionnaire that should be found at any primary care facility. Treatment options vary, but often include medication or psychotherapy.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

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