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In the nearly 30 years since Louise Brown made history as the first test-tube baby, more than one million infants have been conceived by means of in vitro fertilization. Assisted reproductive technologies continue to advance, but increasingly they are pushing against one of nature's great barriers to fertility: maternal age. A New York Times story on the topics of age and fertility quoted Bradley Van Voorhis, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and fertility expert with University of Iowa Health Care. The Times quoted Van Voorhis' comments in the New England Journal of Medicine: "Many infertility specialists are surprised by the number of otherwise highly educated older couples with unrealistic expectations of fertility. The negative effect of a woman's age on fertility cannot be overemphasized. |
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| A new study suggests that boys with twin sisters might actually increase the risk for developing anorexia nervosa, commonly referred to simply as anorexia. The ABC News report cited the published work of researchers who said that the male of the opposite-sex twin pair may be exposed to more estrogen in the uterus from the development of their female twin. The story quoted Arnold Andersen, MD, a professor of psychiatry with University of Iowa Health Care, as an expert not affiliated with the study. The increased estrogen "seems to be the only probable mechanism causing this difference," Andersen said.
While constipation is widely believed to occur frequently in pregnancy, there has been little research to determine its actual prevalence, according to a report carried by Reuters news service. However, the report goes on to cite the research conducted by Catherine Bradley, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and colleagues. In a research project published in the journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology, they followed 103 healthy women beginning in their first trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-four percent reported constipation during their first trimester, 26 per cent had constipation during the second trimester, and 16 per cent were constipated during their third trimester, while 24 per cent had constipation during the first 3 months after they gave birth. "Given our findings, we suggest that pregnant women who report a history of constipation at their initial obstetric visit or those who require iron supplementation be screened and counseled about constipation treatment options during pregnancy," Bradley said. |
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