Pregnancy News
October 11, 2007
Safe to Drink Wine During Pregnancy
Consuming a small glass of wine is safe for expecting moms, according to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE says that pregnant women can safely drink 1.5 units of alcohol a day after their first trimester. This works out to 125 ml of wine or 25 ml of spirits and contradicts the British government’s official advice to pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant which is to abstain from alcohol. NICE based its recommendation on the fact “no consistent evidence” existed showing harm to the unborn child if a pregnant woman consumed small or moderate amounts of alcohol. However, the NICE’s spokesperson urges that this finding doesn’t rule out all possible risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Source: Australian Associated Press
October 11, 2007
Milk Intake During Pregnancy Increases Birth Weight
A new study in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found birth weight correlates with the protein intake derived from the milk that women drink during pregnancy. The authors of the study collected data from 50,117 mother-infant pairs in Denmark between 1996 and 2002 and found that these women drank an average of 3.1 glasses of milk a day. The authors also noted that the intake of milk was inversely correlated with the risk of SGA (small for gestational age) and directly correlated with the risk of LGA (large for gestational age).
Source: Medscape
October 10, 2007
No Need for Routine Thyroid Screening During Pregnancy
Regular screening of thyroid abnormalities during pregnancy is not recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). The ACOG found that there isn’t any significant health benefit for routine thyroid screening during prenatal care, unless pregnant women have a history of thyroid disease or other related conditions. However, some experts argue that screening all pregnant women for hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid, a small gland in your neck, produces too little hormone which links to premature births and developmental delay in the fetus, is important. But, ACOG suggests otherwise in their study that appears in October’s issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Source: Forbes.com
