Breastfeeding not only affects a woman's weight during the process, but women who breastfeed also gain an average of 6.5 kilos less later in life if they breastfeed for at least three months

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#BreastfeedingBenefits #MaternalHealth #PostpartumWeightLoss

🤱 Over 170,000 Norwegian women participated in a study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that tracked long-term weight changes up to 50 years after breastfeeding. Findings show that breastfeeding each child for at least three months can have a positive long-term effect on a mother's weight.

⚖️ The most significant weight difference was observed in women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy. Those who breastfed for 3-15 months gained up to 6.5 kg less from young adulthood to middle age compared to those who breastfed less.

💧 For women of normal weight before pregnancy, breastfeeding for 3-15 months resulted in a weight gain difference of up to 3 kg. Breastfeeding had little impact on weight for underweight women.

🌍 The study highlighted that breastfeeding patterns have evolved, with women who had children after 1980 showing clearer associations between breastfeeding and lower weight. This is seen as positive for public health, though some women, especially those with overweight or obesity, may require additional support post-birth.

#Breastfeeding #MaternalHealth #WeightManagement

Homicide is not the leading cause of death in pregnant and postpartum women in the US.

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#MaternalHealth #PublicHealth #MaternalMortality

Mothers without specific fatty acid in the blood more often have children with asthma

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#AsthmaResearch #MaternalHealth #FattyAcAcids

Following the Dobbs decision, US states with abortion bans have experienced increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Abortion bans have broad downstream consequences on medical care beyond abortion itself, with implications for patient safety, equity, and physician ethics.

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#MaternalHealth #AbortionBans #MedicalEthics

🤰 Exposure to common air pollutants in early pregnancy may lead to persistent depressive symptoms throughout pregnancy, according to a study published June 2 in Environmental Health.

💨 Researchers found that higher air pollution in the first six weeks of pregnancy impacted the trajectory of depressive symptoms. Participants with higher nitrogen dioxide exposure during this period were 3.82 times more likely to follow the highest-symptom trajectory.

📊 The study tracked 542 women from the MADRES cohort, identifying four patterns of depressive symptoms, with clinically relevant symptoms most common in the first trimester.

#AirPollution #MaternalHealth #MentalHealth

🤰 New Research Reveals Broader Depression Treatment Options for Pregnant Women: A comprehensive analysis of over 12,000 participants in 115 trials across 30 countries found that yoga, omega-3 supplements, massage, and bright light therapy are as effective as talking therapies like CBT for antenatal depression.

💻 Digital & Online Support Equally Effective: Apps and telephone-based interventions show similar effectiveness to face-to-face treatments, offering vital accessibility for women facing travel limitations or long waiting times for in-person care.

💊 Limited Evidence for Antidepressants in Pregnancy: The study noted a lack of randomized controlled trials for pharmaceutical treatments specifically in pregnant populations, highlighting the need for further research despite existing recommendations for moderate to severe cases.

#PregnancyMentalHealth #MaternalHealth #DepressionTreatment

Heat Exposure During Pregnancy and Infancy May Influence Children’s Brain Development. Research also found slower thalamic growth was associated with more externalising behavioural symptoms during adolescence, including aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour

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#MaternalHealth #BrainDevelopment #AdolescentBehavior

2022 Dobbs decision, which allowed US states to impose full or partial bans on abortion provision, is linked to adverse maternal and infant morbidity and mortality outcomes. Clinical constraints on care from state abortion laws was associated with generalized moral distress for OB-GYNs nationally.

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#AbortionPolicy #MaternalHealth #OBGYNMorale

Babies of vegan mothers had no difference in median birth weight or rate of premature delivery as those from unrestricted diet mothers, study of 10,338 births finds. The mothers had no difference in rates of anemia, blood transfusions, or gestational diabetes / hypertension, but had lower BMI.

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#VeganPregnancy #MaternalHealth #BirthOutcomes

📈 A 2-year study (2022-2024) in an Irish hospital compared pregnancy outcomes for vegan (68 women) and unrestricted diet (10,270 women) patients.

⬇️ Vegan patients had a lower body mass index (BMI) but showed no difference in anemia rates (17.6% vs 16.1%) or need for blood transfusions (2.9% vs 3.4%) compared to those with unrestricted diets.

⚖️ Pregnancy outcomes were equivalent: median birth weight (3390g vs 3410g), premature delivery rates (<37 weeks, 7.4% vs 9.5%), gestational diabetes (8.8% vs 9.9%), and gestational hypertension (0% vs 3.5%) showed no significant differences between the groups.

#Pregnancy #VeganDiet #MaternalHealth

Women Who Experienced Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Had Higher Health-Related Social Needs, Such as Inadequate Food, Employment and Education Among Black and Latina Women

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#MaternalHealth #HealthEquity #ReproductiveJustice

🤰 New Mass General Brigham study reveals adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in Black and Latina women are linked to greater social needs, including education, transportation, and financial strain.

🏥 Researchers suggest integrating social needs assessment into postpartum care could improve long-term maternal health and reduce health disparities.

📈 The study found that the rate of APOs increased with higher burdens of social needs, particularly in educational areas.

#MaternalHealth #HealthDisparities #PregnancyOutcomes

Across 16 hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa, a new trial covering 134,630 women cut the odds of early newborn death by 22%.

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#GlobalHealth #NewbornCare #MaternalHealth

Unconditional cash transfers to mothers with low income may slow biological aging in their children. Because of the randomized controlled trial design, the researchers concluded that these changes were caused by receipt of the higher cash transfer, rather than other factors.

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#CashTransfers #MaternalHealth #BiologicalAging

Girls born to mothers who took acetaminophen (paracetamol) during pregnancy exhibited smaller uteri (−13%) & ovaries (−40%), fewer ovarian follicles (−23%), and lower levels of anti-Müllerian hormone, which could affect fertility later in life. This replicates an outcome observed in animal studies.

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#FertilityResearch #MaternalHealth #ParacetamolStudy

A new case study in Ethiopia shows a new mother's intestines tied themselves into a real knot after an uncomplicated vaginal birth.

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#MaternalHealth #Obstetrics #EthiopiaCaseStudy

A study of over 414,000 births found a substantially higher risk of infant mortality among infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms. Infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms had nearly three times the risk of death before the age of 1 compared to their counterparts.

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#MaternalHealth #InfantMortality #DepressionAwareness

Moms who vacuumed, aired out futons and used anti-mite covers more often while pregnant had toddlers less likely to show signs of developmental delays at 18 months to 3 years, in a Japanese study of over 81,000 mother-child pairs. The more often they cleaned, the lower the odds.

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#MaternalHealth #ChildDevelopment #PreventiveCare

Pregnant women with a history of childhood neglect show stronger inflammatory reactions to stress

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#MaternalHealth #InflammationResearch #PrenatalStress