plus 4, Eye doc may lose license after calling patient fat - Times and Democrat

Eye doc may lose license after calling patient fat - Times and Democrat
Study: Few Pregnancy Complications With MS - OfficialWire
Smoking, lead exposure during pregnancy linked to ADHD - Weblogs.baltimoresun.com
New book answers pregnancy questions - Jamaica Observer
Pregnancy pounds predict kids' weight as teens - Vancouver Sun

Eye doc may lose license after calling patient fat - Times and Democrat

Posted: 22 Nov 2009 09:51 PM PST

A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professional decency.

The eye doctor's patient complained Sunderhaus poked her thigh and told her she is fat, and also scolded her as irresponsible for being unemployed and relying on taxpayers to pay for another pregnancy.

Sunderhaus admitted he told the patient that her thick thighs and diabetes could cause her to go blind.

He made his points again by writing the patient, Gov. Beverly Perdue and blasting the medical board.

Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com

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Study: Few Pregnancy Complications With MS - OfficialWire

Posted: 20 Nov 2009 06:44 AM PST

Pregnant women with multiple sclerosis are slightly more likely to have Caesarean deliveries and babies with poor prenatal growth rate, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found a woman with MS was no more likely to have pre-eclampsia and other high blood pressure problems or premature rupture of membranes, than women in the general population.

Women with MS had only a slightly higher chance of having a Caesarean deliveries or babies with poor prenatal growth.

The study involved 38 states, included an estimated 18.8 million deliveries, with about 10,000 of those occurring in women with MS, the researchers say.

"These results are reassuring for women with MS," study author Dr. Eliza Chakravarty said in a statement. "Women and their doctors have been uncertain about the effect of MS on pregnancy, and some women have chosen to delay or even avoid pregnancy due to the uncertainty. We found that women with MS did not have an increased risk of most pregnancy complications."

The findings are published in Neurology.

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Smoking, lead exposure during pregnancy linked to ADHD - Weblogs.baltimoresun.com

Posted: 22 Nov 2009 07:56 PM PST

Cigarette smoke and lead are known to have bad effects on children. Some studies have shown a link to between the exposures and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

A new study shows those downsides begin as early as in the womb. Children exposed to cigarette smoke and to lead in utero were eight times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, according to an article appearing in today's Pediatrics.

For years, researchers have known too much lead exposure in pregnancy can lead to a host of developmental and behavioral problems once the child is born. And other research has shown a link between tobacco and attention problems. This study takes a look at both exposures to reveal a significant impact.

The team of researchers from around the country studied a national health survey of 2,588 children 8 to 15 years old. They measured lead levels in a child's blood and measured tobacco exposure based on how much smoking a woman reported during pregnancy. Children exposed to tobacco or lead alone were more likely to have ADHD. The risk was even greater when exposed to both toxins.

The findings may not be surprising -- we've known for years that lead exposure and smoking are bad during pregnancy. But consider that some 15 percent of women smoke during pregnancy, according to a 2004 study the article states. And nearly 2 percent of children nationwide have lead levels above what the CDC says are "levels of concern."

Understanding the causes of ADHD has been a challenge for researchers. They believe a mix of genes and environmental factors is at play. The authors say the new research could play an important role in tackling the condition.

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New book answers pregnancy questions - Jamaica Observer

Posted: 22 Nov 2009 08:18 PM PST

All Woman

New book answers pregnancy questions

Monday, November 23, 2009

OBSTETRICIAN and gynaecologist Dr Monique Rainford-Bourne hopes to allay the fears expectant mothers have with her new book The Maternal Glow: A Jamaican Woman's Guide to Pregnancy. The book, officially launched on Tuesday, deals with a number of the issues a pregnant woman is likely to deal with throughout the course of her pregnancy and after.

It touches on topics such as diet and exercise, morning sickness and miscarriage, aches, pains, skin changes and pain relief for labour, as well as the process of delivery, breastfeeding, birth-control methods, the father's role and sex during and after pregnancy.

Dr Rainford-Bourne, who has been an OBGYN for the past 10 years, is also the mother of a one-year-old son and was therefore able to draw on personal experiences while writing the book. Although she started the book prior to giving birth, it wasn't until 2008 that it was completed.

"It was a gradual effort... I kept writing around the time I had my baby. As things came up in the pregnancy I would write about it, and after delivery I would write," said the Harvard Medical School graduate.

The colourfully illustrated book is expected to be a welcome relief for pregnant women who would have had to search online or use overseas-based books for information.

"I think education helps women take better care of themselves in pregnancy. I hope women will read the book, they will not only educate themselves about what they can expect during pregnancy, but they can ask their doctors the right questions," said Dr Rainford-Bourne.

Although most of the over 20 chapters in the book depict motherhood as a joyous occasion, Dr Rainford-Bourne was keen to point out that things don't always turn out as planned.

"It is important for women to get that not everyone will get pregnant and have the baby the first time. I hope some of the women who have had tough situations like losses know that it doesn't mean that they should give up. If it happens, they can try again," she said.

The book will be made available in major bookstores across the island and some novelty bookstores at a cost of $1,500.

Five questions for Dr Monique Rainford-Bourne

1. Why did you decide to become an OBGYN?

I decided to become an OBGYN after I delivered my first baby in 1994. I was a student assisting with the delivery of babies and I thought it was incredible. I loved it so much... and I said, you know what, I would probably do this although I also wanted to become a paediatrician. But that delivery experience was off the hook.

2. What do you love most about your job?

I love the interaction with women. I love being able to educate women and help them. I love that I am able to pull on my personal experiences and indirectly share. At least I can empathise with women.

3. What is the major challenge you face doing your job?

Resources are a challenge. Obstetrics is a challenge for doctors waking up in the middle of the night with the crime situation. You have to wake up and go to the hospital in the middle of the night and you feel a little nervous sometimes. And you can't do all you can do, because of resources. Even though you have been trained to do something else, you realise you are limited in terms of what you can do because of limited resources.

4. What do you like to do besides treating your patients and writing?

I love my occasional TV shows. I used to do ballroom dancing - haven't got to do too much of that, but it is something that I enjoy and the occasional reading, although raising a baby takes up a lot of time.

5. What's the most important achievement you think women have made in the last 20 years?

Based on the numbers, most women are getting an education. Apparently more women are at the university than men. So more women educating themselves is a very positive thing.

- Nadine Wilson

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Pregnancy pounds predict kids' weight as teens - Vancouver Sun

Posted: 22 Nov 2009 06:02 PM PST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy may not only have bigger babies, but bigger teenagers as well, a study suggests.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that among nearly 12,000 children and teenagers they studied, those whose mothers gained more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy were 42 percent more likely to be obese.

The risk was independent of other factors the researchers examined, including mothers' pre-pregnancy weight, family income and parents' education.

Some past studies have linked excessive weight gain during pregnancy to a higher risk of obesity in childhood. These latest findings add to evidence that the fetal environment may have a "sustained effect" on children's weight regulation, Dr. Emily Oken and colleagues report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

For women, they say, the study underscores the importance of going into pregnancy at a healthy weight, and then gaining only the recommended amount.

In the U.S., the Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that normal-weight women gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. Women who were overweight before becoming pregnant are encouraged to gain a little less -- 15 to 25 pounds -- while underweight women should put on 28 to 40 pounds.

The current study included 11,994 children between 9 and 14-years olds whose mothers were part of the Nurses Health Study II, a long-range health study of female nurses from across the U.S. The researchers found that 6.5 percent of the children were obese.

Oken's team found that when mothers exceeded the IOM guidelines for pregnancy weight gain, their children's weight also tended to climb.

Compared with their peers whose mothers followed the IOM guidelines, those whose mothers gained too much weight were 42 percent more likely to be obese by the time they were 9-to-14 years old.

Researchers suspect that excess pregnancy pounds may affect fetal development in a way that makes children more susceptible to excessive weight gain.

Animal research has found that overeating during pregnancy alters the expression of genes involved in fat regulation in offspring, and seems to affect the appetite-control centers of their brains as well.

SOURCE: Obstetrics & Gynecology, November 2008.

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