(Reuters Health) – Women who have depression symptoms during pregnancy may be more likely to deliver early, a new study suggests. Researchers found that of more than 14,000 pregnant women, those who screened positive for possible clinical depression had an increased chance of preterm birth: 14 percent delivered before the 37th week of pregnancy, versus …
Continue ReadingScientist Who Lost Daughter Champions Cord Blood
Saving umbilical cord blood from childbirth is a growing practice, and those in the field credit a former NASA astronomer with raising national awareness about cord blood’s potential for providing life-saving stem cells. “There’s been a huge upswing in interest in cord blood banking,” said Danielle Winner Koontz, a childbirth educator and doula—or …
Continue ReadingScientists Successfully Expand Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells in Culture
What exactly do all those medical words mean??? Simply put, stem cells can be multiplied in a culture providing millions and even billions of new cells which might be used in the treatment of anemia, immune deficiencies and other diseases, including some cancers. Since stem cells from bone marrow limit the matching capabilities of the cells, umbilical cord blood …
Continue ReadingMother Of 6 Winning Battle Against Leukemia Thanks To New Method
Thanks to umbilical cord blood cells and a new way to increase the number of cells exponentially, this Colorado mother of 6 is on her way to getting better. After giving birth prematurely she began chemotherapy treatments as well an infusion of almost 2.3 billion ( thats billion with a B!!) new cells harvested from umbilical cord …
Continue ReadingCord blood bill signed into Florida law
According to the Orlando Sentinel, a new bill in Florida last month requires health care providers to educate their clients about cord blood banking options, including public and private banks. In addition, the Florida Department of Health website has now included a link to a non commercial site, www.parentguidecordblood.org which explains the process of collecting cord blood …
Continue ReadingSmoking in pregnancy tied to child’s cholesterol
A new study reported by Reuters from the European Heart Journal describes the effects on children whose mothers smoked while they are pregnant. The study indicates that smoking in pregnancy can lead to lower levels of HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol thus making them more prone to heart disease later in life. “Our results suggest that maternal smoking …
Continue ReadingParents Make Facebook Page for Unborn Child; Becomes Online Journal
We all know about Facebook. We all know that we can re connect with old friends and make new one via this site. However, the parents of this yet unborn baby have already made a page for her and while doing so created an online journal of their nine months of pregnancy. …
Continue ReadingSleeping and pregnancy
Two words which become elusive as the months go on. Sleep and Pregnancy. For a safer pregnancy, make sure to sleep on your left side as it increases blood flow and nutrients to the baby. For the first twenty weeks it is safe to sleep on your back but after that it isn’t advisable because …
Continue ReadingCBS’ The Doctors on Stem Cells and Cord Blood
On the most recent episode of The Doctors on CBS is an awesome segment about stem cells and cord blood. The Doctors answer a question from a women deciding whether she should store her third child’s cord blood. The collective answer was a resounding ‘yes’. They speak about the overwhelming and positive potential of …
Continue ReadingDuke University ‘Ask the Expert’-Umbilical Cord Transplantation
One of the leading experts on blood and marrow transplantation, Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, was the first physician to use umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors to cure cancers and life-threatening genetic disorders and Duke University. In this recent article she answers many questions about cord blood, its benefits and what the future holds for the science …
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