Call them sperm on steroids, these 6-inch (15 cm) long wriggly organisms that Australian fertility specialists have magnified more than 7000x to help determine which are most likely to fertilize that lucky egg.
Pregnancy
10-Year-Old in Spain Is Not the First or Youngest Child Mom
A 10-year-old girl gave birth last week in a Spanish hospital, as TIME’s NewsFeed posted earlier today. The new mother’s young age may be shocking, but she isn’t the youngest mother on record by far.
Can Pregnant Moms Give Their Babies a Peanut Allergy? Maybe
About six percent of children under three suffers from a food allergy, and close to 2% are allergic to peanuts.
Study: Fish Oil Supplements May Not Benefit Pregnant Moms or Babies
Pregnant women have a lot to worry about when it comes to keeping their bodies and their developing babies healthy. Now researchers in Australia report that fish-oil supplements, a popular nutritional boost that many moms-to-be …
Is “Birth Rape” for Real?
Giving birth is not a modest affair. After a lifetime spent covering up your privates, there they are, front and center, splayed out for any ole doc or nurse to see.
Pregnant? Flu Shots Protect Moms — and Their Babies
Roll up your sleeves, moms-to-be. It’s flu-shot season, and new research released Monday shows that babies whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy were less likely to get the flu or to be hospitalized with respiratory …
A New Way to Predict IVF Success: Film the Embryo
With more than four million babies and counting, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a well-established way for couples who otherwise couldn’t have children to start or expand a family. For some, it’s their only option.
Study: Smoking During Pregnancy May Result in Uncoordinated Kids
As if you needed another reason to quit smoking — especially during pregnancy — consider that women who puff while pregnant may hobble their babies’ coordination and physical control.
Why It’s Harder For Older Women to Have Healthy Babies
No one likes being labeled, but celebrate your 35th birthday and get pregnant and you’re out of luck: like it or not, the letters “AMA” get slapped across your chart.
Diagnosing Postpartum Depression with a Brain Scan
Postpartum depression strikes about 15% of mothers in the first months after delivery, but it’s not clear yet which women are at risk. Now researchers at University of Pittsburgh report on a brain-imaging test that may identify …
A Test to Predict High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Is on the Horizon
Preeclampsia is one of those terms you probably wouldn’t hear until your pregnancy test turns up positive. Then, regular prenatal urine and blood pressure screenings alert you to the condition, if they detect something awry.
What the U.S. Can Learn from the Dutch About Teen Sex
The Dutch are known for their liberal attitudes toward sex and drugs: while not officially legal, marijuana use and sale in “coffee shops” is tolerated in The Netherlands, as is prostitution, most notoriously in the street …
Try As You May, Morning Sickness Is Here To Stay
Sucking ginger candies? Chomping Saltines? Wearing those unattractive wristbands with the plastic knobs that exert pressure just so and promise to calm pregnancy nausea? Check, check, check.