6 Stories Show the Human Toll of Poland ’ s Strict Abortion Laws
This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center
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Krzysztof Sowinski has cried every day since his wife Marta, who was five months pregnant, died of sepsis in 2022; he believes doctors put Marta’s life in danger by not giving them the option to terminate the pregnancy while the fetus’ heart was still beating. Janusz Kucharski also lost his partner Justyna to sepsis in the fifth month of a pregnancy. She left behind two boys.
It is likely, reproductive-rights advocates say, that these women would be alive if not for Poland’s increasingly restrictive abort...
Source: TIME: Health - October 13, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Anna Pamula Tags: Uncategorized abortion Source Type: news
What Are the Complications of Sickle Cell Trait?
Discussion
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders where there are abnormal hemoglobin molecules and the red blood cells take on a characteristic sickled shape instead of a rounded shape. Sickled hemoglobin provides an evolutionary advantage of giving the individual increased protection against severe and cerebral malaria. The sickled shape doesn’t move through the vascular system as well and therefore is more likely to aggregate in small vessels causing an increased risk of vaso-occlusive disease, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, and priapism. There is also an increased risk of ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - September 4, 2023 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Pediatric Education Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
New Method Improves Speed and Cost of Birth Defect Testing
If the technique is confirmed, women who have had miscarriages or those undergoing prenatal screening may no longer need to rely on centralized testing labs for results. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - August 17, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Gina Kolata Tags: Prenatal Testing Pregnancy and Childbirth Genetics and Heredity Miscarriages Amniocentesis In Vitro Fertilization Chromosomes Laboratories and Scientific Equipment Women and Girls Research New England Journal of Medicine Source Type: news
These Prenatal Tests Are Usually Wrong When Warning of Rare Disorders
The false positives aren ’t mentioned in the brochures for these blood screenings, which are sold by some of the biggest labs in the country. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - January 1, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sarah Kliff and Aatish Bhatia Tags: Pregnancy and Childbirth Tests (Medical) Amniocentesis DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) Babies and Infants Advertising and Marketing Regulation and Deregulation of Industry Source Type: news
Video: Amniocentesis
(Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed)
Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed - December 9, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What Does Amniocentesis Test For?
Title: What Does Amniocentesis Test For?Category: Diseases and ConditionsCreated: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AMLast Editorial Review: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM (Source: MedicineNet Kids Health General)
Source: MedicineNet Kids Health General - October 29, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: news
A simple blood test could now be used to diagnose sickle cell disease in unborn babies
Until now, the debilitating inherited condition - which causes those with it to produce unusually shaped red blood cells - could only be picked up during an invasive procedure known as amniocentesis. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - March 15, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
New single-cell prenatal blood test can identify genetic abnormalities
(Elsevier) Non-invasive prenatal tests (NIPTs) are used for fetal genetic disease screening in pregnant women. In contrast, invasive tests like amniocentesis carry the risk of causing fetal harm. A report in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, describes the development of a single-cell DNA assessment method with high sensitivity and specificity. This noninvasive test enables direct extraction of genetic information from live fetal cells for simultaneous evaluation, thereby improving the likelihood of detecting a fetal anomaly. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - February 4, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Circulating Fetal Cells Sequenced for Prenatal Testing Study
Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling. (Source: The Scientist)
Source: The Scientist - December 10, 2019 Category: Science Tags: News & Opinion Source Type: news
Amniotic Fluid Testing Another Tool for Zika Detection Amniotic Fluid Testing Another Tool for Zika Detection
Amniocentesis is useful for confirming suspected cases of fetal Zika virus infection (ZIKV) when ultrasound suggests central nervous system abnormalities and risk of ZIKV exposure is high, according to a new prospective study.Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - January 30, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medscape Today News Source Type: news
Amniocentesis
(Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed)
Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed - January 9, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Bioethicist: History Tells Us CRISPR Fears Are Overblown Bioethicist: History Tells Us CRISPR Fears Are Overblown
Worries that gene editing will lead to designer babies parallel fears from previous decades about amniocentesis, which, a renowned bioethicist and TEDMED speaker points out, were never realized.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - November 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pathology & Lab Medicine News Source Type: news
Forum on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of Zika Virus Infection among Infants
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 09/26/2017 This Web page provides information and videos from a forum held on August 30-3, 2017, to review emerging evidence and collect individual input regarding the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of infants with possible congenital Zika virus (Zika) infection. Topics included identifying strategies to use prenatal ultrasound and amniocentesis to inform the diagnosis and clinical management of infants with congenital Zika syndrome, and identifying strategies that optimize communication between providers caring for an infant with congenital Zika exposure. (Video or Multim...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - September 26, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
NanoVelcro microchips for prenatal testing
New non-invasive technique could be a safer alternative to amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. (Source: Nanotechweb.org News)
Source: Nanotechweb.org News - August 7, 2017 Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Belle Dum é Source Type: news
Link between stress in pregnancy and ADHD unfounded
Conclusion
Despite the media headlines and scaremongering, ADHD is never mentioned in the study.
The researchers cite animal studies which suggest increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol may speed up development before birth. They say this may prevent proper maturation of the organs and so could cause any "mental or physical illness" occurring later in life, such as ADHD.
However, for ethical reasons, the levels of stress hormones in the amniotic fluid were only measured once in this study. This means we are unable to tell whether they changed during periods of maternal stress or during the pregnancy.
Tho...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 31, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Mental health Source Type: news
