Actually, if you really read the study, it’s not the faithfulness that was the issue, it was how much the woman was exposed to the father’s semen. You know how I caution people to read studies carefully and not take news at face value? Here is yet another case. The news that came out of this study shows you how headlines can blow things out of proportion.

These “news” sources published exactly the same thing, which means they were using a press release:

• Faithful mothers have healthier babies (PhysOrg.com)
• Faithful mothers have healthier babies (Science News)
• Faithful Mothers Have Healthier Babies (Medical News Today)

On the other hand, the real information is here:

Duration of sexual relationship and its effect on preeclampsia and small for gestational age perinatal outcome. (PubMed)

Do you see the difference in the titles? Nowhere does it say fidelity or faithfulness – it says duration of sexual relationship. There’s a HUGE difference between the two. There are several reasons why a woman may not be exposed to the father’s semen after pregnancy. I can think of a few right off the top of my head:

• Father is away on deployment or other work-related issues right after conception
• Mother is away on work-related issues
• Mother (or father) doesn’t want to have sex
• Couple breaks up
• Father is unable to have sexual relation for some reason after conception
• Baby was conceived through methods other than sexual relations

Ok, here’s the real story:

Researchers followed 2507 women who were pregnant for the first time and were carrying only one child (meaning no twins or more). The women were asked about how long they had been with the father of the child, because the shorter the relationship, the less the woman was exposed to his semen.

The goal of the study was to see if women who had shorter sexual relationships with the biological father of the child had a higher risk of having a condition called pre-eclampsia – high blood pressure due to pregnancy – and/or smaller babies.

Briefly, what the researchers found was this was true. Women in longer sexual relationships had a lower risk of developing pre-eclampsia than women in shorter relationships.

There were 1,462 uncomplicated pregnancies within the group of mothers. Among the rest, 131 did develop pre-eclampsia and 263 had babies small for gestational age.

The researchers found that women who were in the shorter relationships did have a higher rate of pre-eclampsia, but this wasn’t found absolutely for babies of small gestational age.

Interestingly, at the 20 week ultrasound, doctors did find a problem with the uterine artery, the blood vessel that provides blood to the uterus, in 58 women and more of those women were the ones in the shorter relationship group.

So – now that you know what the study really said, what do you think?

Post from: Healthbolt

Both men and women know how important condoms are. Being on the Pill will prevent pregnancy, but it won’t prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia or HIV. The only thing that will prevent that – other than abstention – is a condom. So, what do you do if he doesn’t want to discuss it or is arguing against it? Then it’s time for a Condom Negotiation.

Personally, I think there shouldn’t be a negotiation. It’s use one or no sex. Period. but, if you feel you want to take the time to do some persuading, The American Social Health Association has put this Condom Negotiation page for you. Have a look and see if there’s something that may help you.

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Image: StockXchng.com

Post from: Healthbolt

Brain Blogger reports on how Depression and Diabetes Linked in Pregnancy.

Woman Tribune discusses Cheerios partnership with WomenHeart. Find out how you can help Cheerios donate to heart disease research, and get a free cholestrol screening at Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts. Plus enter to win a freshwater pearl bracelet.

Tushar Mathur from Talking About Green gives us Ways To Go Green In The Kitchen.

Joel Gray from Health Tips 101 tells you to Open Your Mouth and Check for Cancer.

Cynthia Kerry from Best Fat Loss Reviews reports on Different ways you can get rid of belly fat.

Ruth from Camping Tips discusses How to Buy Hiking Boots.

J.D. Bell from It Takes Work presents Dr. Seuss Explains The Bailout | it-takes-work.com.

ChristianPF from Natural Health Ezine asks Does Oscillococcinum really work?.

Arnel from Your Skin Care Blog looks at The Importance of Getting Acne treatment.

Y Niz from Sinus Pressure Relief offers some Home Remedies For Sinus Infection.

Victor from How to get rid of anxiety and panic writes about Facing Reality in How to Get Rid of Panic and Anxiety. Self Help Guide.

Alvin Hopkinson from High Blood Pressure Treatment and Medication Reviews looks at How Fats in our Diet Cause High Blood Pressure.

GreatManagement from Free Organic News discusses Organic Skin Care – The Nice And Simple Way.

And that’s it for this edition of the Healthbolt Carnival.

Don’t forget to submit your health and wellness blog article to the next edition of healthbolt carnival using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: a healthbolt carnival, blog carnival.

Post from: Healthbolt

Sure hope you do better than me…

The National Geographic Channel created this quiz as part of their In the Womb series.

By the way, the next episode of In the Womb screens this Saturday 28th February on National Geographic Channel.

Post from: Healthbolt

Developed by a father to be who was feeling a little left out of the pregnancy because he was missing the baby’s movements in the womb. Here’s what he says…

“As an expectant father, I am once-removed from the physical knowledge my wife has of our baby and its development. With the Kickbee, I wanted to create a device that would give me a chance to be aware of our baby’s movements.”

So he created a way for all movements to be monitor via, believe it or not, twitter and the cellphone.

I’m not making this up. Everytime that the baby kicks, the vibrations travel wirelessly to twitter which then sends an SMS message to his cell phone…

The message -’I kicked mommy at…”

Post from: Healthbolt

No, the babies I’m talking about are the ones that have been born to ‘a 70 year old grandmother’ and ‘a transgender man’. Talk about pushing the limits.

Can you imagine having a baby twins at the age of 70? I’m having a hard time getting my head around the idea. And get this, she is already has two daughters and five grandchildern. I could understand if this was a simple fluke of nature, but the twins were conceived through IVF treatment.

Why ? Well, according to news reports, it was so there would be a male heir. This quote by the 77 year old father, who financed the treatment through a combination of savings, mortgaging his land, and credit card loans, sums it all up: “We kept no stone unturned and God has rewarded us. The treatment cost me a fortune but the birth of a son makes it all worthwhile. I can die a happy man and a proud father.”

Meanwhile, the transgender man who made headlines around the world as the “pregnant man” gave birth a couple of days ago to a healthy baby girl. There will, no doubt, be exclusive photos to come. After all, this is history in the making.

As for Angelina Jolie, she’s sitting in a hospital in Nice, possibly also shaking her head and saying ‘what next?’

Post from: Healthbolt

The study, based on questioning the mothers of over 13,000 children born in the late 1990s, found that…

“… mothers who did use the handsets were 54 per cent more likely to have children with behavioural problems and that the likelihood increased with the amount of potential exposure to the radiation. And when the children also later used the phones they were, overall, 80 per cent more likely to suffer from difficulties with behaviour. They were 25 per cent more at risk from emotional problems, 34 per cent more likely to suffer from difficulties relating to their peers, 35 per cent more likely to be hyperactive, and 49 per cent more prone to problems with conduct.”

These results were unexpected and took the scientists by surprise.  Three and a half years ago, UCLA’s Professor Leeka Kheifets, one of the lead scientists on this study, had written that studies “…to date give no consistent evidence of a causal relationship between exposure to radiofrequency fields and any adverse health effect”.

But the authors of this study acknowledge many other variables – diet, smoking, family mental history – at play that could just as easily suggest reasons for the children’s behavioral problems.

They also acknowledge that there is a strong possibility that the children’s behavioral problems  have less to do with the radio frequency fields and more to do with the fact that mothers who are constantly on the cell phone pay less attention to their children, causing them to ‘act out’.

But while the fndings from this new study are not conclusive, it has brought into focus yet again the question “are cell phones hazardous to our health”?

Further reading:

Do Cell Phones Harm Unborn Babies?

Post from: Healthbolt

Let’s talk transplants…

US doctors at John Hopkins Hospital recently performed what is believed to be the world’s first simulanteous six-way kidney transplant. Can you imagine that? Twelve people were operated on at the same time, with kidneys removed from six people and transplanted into six other people.

Why all at once? In the words of Jeanne Heise who received a kidney from one donor while her husband was donating a kidney to another patient…

“The waiting list for a kidney is very long and too many people die while waiting. With this group procedure, more and more people can beat kidney disease and live long productive lives.”

John Hopkins Hospital helped pioneer this system which matches up several groups of people at one time and have been doing these simultaneous transplants for the past three years. But this is the first time they tried a six-way kidney transplant.

And what about reproduction…

I’m sure everyone by now has watched or read news reports about the man who is pregnant. It’s sure got people talking and many of them have very strong opinions about the pros and cons about this pregnancy. Thomas Beatie, who was a woman and is now a man, was recently on Oprah defending his decision and his right to become pregnant and have a child…

“I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child. It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child.”

Meanwhile, in India…

According to this news report. Shiypuri District authorities in Madhya Pradesh have come up with a novel idea – they are motivating men to undergo a vasectomy in exchange for a gun license. Apparently guys living in this region equate guns with prestige and as a consequence, this promotion has resulted in 150 men undergoing vasectomies in the past four months. Is this for real? Think I prefer the March Madness promotion!!!

Post from: Healthbolt