Blog List

According to new research, tucking into your Brussels sprouts over the festive season can help you conceive. New studies show that 9% of all conceptions take place in the month of December, making it the most fertile time of year. While many may suggest this is due to the festive parties and increased amount of alcohol consumption, the traditional Christmas vegetable should not be overlooked...

New research has found that testing protein levels in pregnant women before 35 weeks is highly accurate in identifying those at risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a severe type of high blood pressure in pregnancy that can be fatal. Currently, high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine are used to diagnose it but the test is unreliable and can take days to confirm...

Health campaigners are criticising Simon Cowell for smoking around his pregnant girlfriend. The X Factor judge was pictured lighting up in the back of a car while sitting next to Lauren Silverman, who is due to give birth in February. It’s not the first time Cowell has been snapped around his girlfriend with a cigarette in his hand. The couple were pictured out for dinner last month and also...

New research shows women who stay fit when pregnant could be helping their little ones develop healthy hearts. The study said people whose mums exercised during pregnancy will have healthier blood vessels in adult life. They believe this is because exercise can programme a baby’s blood vessels to resist heart problems in later life. Scientists from both the US and Germany carried out the study...

New figures show one in five babies in the UK are born to mums over 40. The average age of mothers is also on the rise, moving from 26.4 in 1973 to 29.8 in 2012. The figures come from the Office of National Statistics who say there are a number of reasons for the new trend, including an increase in the number of women going to university and prioritising a career, as well as the cost of raising a...

A 30-minute walk five times a week could prevent depression during your pregnancy. A new study from University College Dublin has found that only 20% of women achieve the recommended walks during pregnancy and these mums-to-be reported better health and emotional wellbeing. There is a significant trend of depression both during and after pregnancy, which has been linked to hormonal changes caused...

New figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that one in ten mothers over the age of 40 gives birth to a premature baby. The data also showed the number of live births to mothers in this age range has more than quadrupled since the 1980s – shooting from 6,519 births in 1982 to 29,994 in 2012. Britain now sees more than 60,000 premature births every year; an increase that has...

New figures from Eurostat show Ireland has the highest birth rate in the EU. The European Union’s statistical office found Ireland recorded 2.05 live births per woman, followed by France at 2.01 and Britain at 1.96. The 2013 regional yearbook also found the UK, Ireland and Sweden had the lowest rates of available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants....

New research has found one in ten mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy. It was previously thought that pregnancy hormones helped protect against this, but hormonal changes during pregnancy can actually contribute to the development of depression. There are now calls for more to be done to identify and treat the illness in pregnant women, following evidence that shows mental and...

A new large-scale British study has concluded that pregnant women are safe to eat fish during pregnancy. The study, which examined blood samples from more than 4,000 pregnant women, concluded that limiting seafood intake is unlikely to reduce their mercury levels substantially. The researchers said they hope that ‘many more women will now consider eating fish during pregnancy’. Mercury, which...