Tag Archives: Pregnancy
Study Finds Increased Use of Medications During Pregnancy
According to Max Health, an increasing number of pregnant women are using medications. According to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the rise of medications during pregnancy may raise the risk of fetal damage. The study reiterated that drugs such as isotretinoin, thalidomide, Phenobarbital and valporate have been known to cause birth defects. However, little is known about the effects of the majority of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that are commonly taken during pregnancy. The study suggests it is impossible for pregnant women to know if medications they are taking pose a potential threat to the fetus. At the same time, information about birth defects and medications use may prompt some women to stop taking medications they need to treat a serious health condition. The study was a collaboration between Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, Harvard School of Publish Health and the Centers for Disease…
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Posted in Birth Defects Tagged Birth Defects, drug usage, medication, Pregnancy, pregnancy drug, prescription Comments Off on Study Finds Increased Use of Medications During Pregnancy
Anticonvulsant Medication Depakote Associated With Serious Birth Defects
According to the San Francisco Gate, anticonvulsant medication such as Depakote are being increasingly linked to birth defects. Recent studies have found that victims of birth defects may have been exposed to anticonvulsants in the uterus. Mothers may have been prescribed Depakote which has the risk of potentially causing life-long conditions such as spina bifida, heart malformations or oral cleft birth defects. Depakote is a widely used anticonvulsant drug on the market, prescribed to women suffering from epilepsy and migraine headaches. A report entitled The Teratogenicity of Anticonvulsant Drugs done by the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a connection between Depakote use and the development of birth defects among infants exposed to the drug during pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration supports these findings and published its own report Birth Defects Related to Depakote and Similar Drugs. The report is a compilation of studies conducted on adverse effects of…
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Posted in Birth Defects Tagged anticonvulsant, birth defect, cleft birth defect, depakote, headache, migraine, Pregnancy Comments Off on Anticonvulsant Medication Depakote Associated With Serious Birth Defects
Study Finds Most Americans Take Vitamins and Dietary Supplements
According to Associated Press, about half of U.S. adults take vitamins and other dietary supplements, with percentages keeping steady for much of the past decade. A new government data shows that a booming number of older women are taking calcium. Federal officials released figures showing the use of dietary supplements has grown since the early 1990s, the usage levels leveled off in 2003 through 2008. About half of adults 20 and older take at least one dietary supplement a day. The biggest rise was seen in calcium. Two thirds of women 60 and older are taking calcium each day, up 28 percent since 1990. Baby boomers may be contributing to these figures, experts say. Many women have also been encouraged to take calcium to protect against female health issues during menopause including osteoporosis. Federal officials conducted surveys in 1988-1994 and 2003-2008 and asked participants to list what supplements they took….
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Posted in Pregnancy Tagged calcium, folic acid, nutrition, osteoporosis, Pregnancy, supplement, vitamin, women Comments Off on Study Finds Most Americans Take Vitamins and Dietary Supplements
