Aurora magazine

Sleeping on the back in the last stages of pregnancy could harm the fetus. It is revealed by a research at Auckland University. According to the researchers, the sleeping position influences the risks associated with childbirth.

The study involved 30 women between the 34th and 38th week of gestation, all in good health. In addition, cases of difficult pregnancies were examined, or where the fetus moved little. Fetal activity is in fact one of the indicators of the child's health. Previous studies have associated the lack of movement at a higher rate of dead fetuses.

Researchers monitored baby responses to mother's position changes during sleep. They used an infrared camera to record women during sleep. In the meantime, they monitored the heartbeat of mother and son. When the mother slept on her back, the fetus was less active than when she slept on her side. In the event of a change of position from the back to the back, the fetus stopped.

Peter Stone, one of the leading authors of the study, said the discovery could help especially in case of difficult pregnancy. If the doctor doubts the child's health, he or she may advise the mother to sleep on her side.

Source: physoc.org

A research at the University of Illinois has revealed the link between lack of sleep and gestational diabetes. The researchers analyzed the data collected from eight previous studies, involving a total of 17,308 puerpers. It thus emerged that sleeping little increases the risk of developing the disease.

Seven eight studies were based on interviews in which women reported the duration of their sleep. The eighth used an accelerometer to measure the sleep-related parameters. All eight also reported any disturbance of the participants, such as gestational diabetes. The researchers also used data from four other studies. The latter measured the blood sugar levels and the duration of sleep in 287 women with diabetes.

Sleeping less than 6 hours per night increases the risk of diabetes by 1.7 times. Analyzes with the accelerometer are even more accurate. Women sleeping less than 6.25 hours a night suffer from diabetes 2.84 times more than sleeping more than 6.25 hours. In addition, they have a much higher blood sugar level in the bloodstream.

The consequences of the lack of sleep on health were already known. This is, however, the first study to objectively analyze the link between sleep, sugar levels and gestational diabetes. What emerges is that pregnant women should not only eat well but also sleep more.

Source: ctvnews.ca

The number of couples who go to the United States to practice assisted fecundation is growing. This is revealed by a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Compared to the US, "tourists of reproduction" are more likely to use donated oocytes and exploit prenatal screenings.

The study analyzes the data of more than 1 million assisted fertilization cycles, conducted between 2006 and 2013. Over this period, the number of foreign couples has risen from 1.2% to a total of 2, 8%. In 2013 foreign couples practicing assisted fertilization in the United States were nearly 5,400.

Foreigners have looked for treatments not available in their countries, exploiting certain technologies far more than the US themselves. 42% of non-residents' cycles have predicted the use of oocytes donated, compared with 10.6% of US cycles. In addition, foreigners have asked for surrogate mothers 8 times more than residents (12.4% versus 1.6%). The pre-implant genetic testing rate was also 4 times higher than that of the residents (19.1% vs. 5.3%).

The foreign patients examined came from 147 countries around the world. 50% of Canadian and British patients have used oocytes donated, probably due to certain legal restrictions in their countries. The percentage rises to 90% in the case of Japanese patients.

Source: gatech.edu

With gestational diabetes is meant that form of diabetes diagnosed for the first time in pregnancy. In some cases, the disease develops with gestation, in others it is an unrecognized form. It is estimated that you are interested about 7% of pregnancies and is a danger to both the mother and the child.

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of maternal and fetal complications. For this reason, it is essential that women adhere to strict rules and be under medical supervision. In particular, it is important to act on elements of a woman's lifestyle, such as nutrition and physical activity. The disease is also linked to a number of bad habits.

The factors that determine the appearance of this form of diabetes are both genetic and environmental. Some women are genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes mellitus, which facilitates the onset of the disease. However, women's age and weight are also crucial: too much overweight or obese women are much more at risk. Even the presence of a recent polycystic ovary syndrome can be a risk factor.

This type of diabetes does not give any particular symptoms. The most obvious are: unjustified increase in thirsty diuresis; unjustified weight loss; recurrent cysts; vision problems. In the event that the future mom has symptoms of this kind, it is good that he undergoes a series of specific tests. As they say, however, better to prevent it from curing.

Prevention of Gestational Diabetes Begins Before Pregnancy. It is important that those who want to become mom increase physical activity and give a simple sugar cut. In the case of obesity, one should try to lose as much weight as possible before conceiving. Slimming should also make it easier to get pregnant.