Cancer :: Sexual problems of long-term cancer survivors merit more attention

The first study to look at sexual function in very long-term female survivors of genital-tract cancer found that these women were pleased with the quality of their cancer care but less satisfied with the emotional support and information they received about dealing with the effects of the disease and treatment on sexuality.

Cerebral Palsy :: Mild stress in the womb may worsen risk of cerebral palsy

Chronic mild stress in pregnant mothers may increase the risk that their offspring will develop cerebral palsy — a group of neurological disorders marked by physical disability — according to new research in mice. The results may be the first to demonstrate such effects of stress on animals in the womb.

Infant :: Children born after PGD as healthy as those born after conventional IVF treatment

Children born after embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) do not show any more major malformations than those born after artificial reproduction technologies (ART) without PGD, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today.

Pregnancy :: A few more minutes of maternal attachment may reduce anemia in children

In the past, the newborns’ umbilical cord was not clamped right after birth, thus allowing the blood flow to stop naturally. This practice, known as “late clamping”, was replaced by “early clamping”, that is, cutting the cord immediately after the infant is expelled. However, this new practice lacks studies corroborating its benefits. In fact, recent studies on the importance of when clamping should be done have shown contradictory results.