It was discovered that women who being pregnant are stressed about money, relationships and other problems may give birth to babies predisposed to allergies and asthma. These findings were presented at a meeting of the American Thoracic Nation in Toronto. They suggest a mother's stress during pregnancy may gain lasting consequences to her child.

Dr. Rosalind Wright of Harvard Medical School in Boston said in a Statement that this research adds to a growing body of evidence that links maternal stress such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues to changes in children's developing immune systems, even during pregnancy. He and his co-workers found mothers who were the most distressed during pregnancy were most likely to give birth to infants with higher levels of immunoglobulin E or IgE - an immune system compound. This was true even for those children whose mothers had only mild exposure to allergens during pregnancy.

Previous studies in animals showed that a mother's stress amplifies the effects of allergen exposure on the immune system of the developing offspring. The scientists wonder if they could find the same in humans...

For this aim they measured levels of IgE from the umbilical cord blood of 387 newborns in Boston. Child whose mothers had low exposure to dust mites in the home, but were the most stressed out still had high levels of IgE in their cord blood. This discovery that showed that stress increased the immune response to dust exposure. This was the thing irrespective of the mother's race, class, teaching or smoking history. Consequently, as researcher claimed, stress can be thought of as a social pollutant that, when 'breathed' into the pregnant woman’s body, may influence the body's immune response.

To some extent this study patterns recent discovery in children who have undergone stress by Dr. Andrea Danese of the University of London. Researchers there followed 1,000 general public in New Zealand from birth to the time of 32. They found children who had undergone maternal rejection, disagreeing discipline and sexual abuse and other kinds of maltreatment had twice the levels of inflammation in their blood even 20 years later. High levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and immune cells increase a child's risk of heart disease and diabetes in future.

"Stress in childhood may modify developmental trajectories and have a long-term effect on disease risk," said Danese. He presented his findings on how early influences affect health and well-being last week at a conference in Chicago. The scientist also said maltreatment in childhood may impair the ability of glucocorticoids - hormones that inhibit inflammation - to respond to stress later in life, which could lead to depression and other psychiatric ills. He pointed out that children who have survived maltreatment should get an early start on preventive care for common adult diseases.

Women with painful fibroids can get long-term relief without surgery, a study of 1,278 women said. All of them underwent uterine fibroid embolization (UFE, also known as uterine artery embolization or UAE). Three years after the minimally invasive procedure, fewer than 15% of women needed surgery or a repeat UFE.

The study was led by UFE pioneer Scott C. Goodwin, MD, who chairs the department of radiological sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Goodwin, who prefers the more precise term UAE, says the procedure offers "very good" long-term outcomes. The quality of living after UFE is good. And you have quicker period of recovery and fewer complications than with the surgical alternatives," he informed WebMD.

Which is more, Goodwin pointed out that the women in the study were treated at different medical centers, not just those tremendously skilled at performing UFE. He mentioned that it was especially important. You can conclude that UFE done by someone with the correct credentials will have the same effect wherever it is done.

While 86% of the women who chose UFE said they'd recommend it to their friend or family member, not all of them get ride of all the symptoms. Three years after the procedure, approximately 13% of the women underwent surgery for fibroid symptoms and another 2% underwent another UFE. That rate is comparable to the standard seen in patients who undergo myomectomy, surgical removal of fibroids. Each year after myomectomy, about 5% of patients see their fibroids return.

Throughout the world, some 25,000 women undergo UFE each year. Goodwin introduced it to the U.S. in 1996. Nevertheless the procedure is all the more considered "developmental" by many gynecologists, including Bryan Cowan, MD, chair of the University of Mississippi Medical Centre department of gynecology and a spokesman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In his opinion the three-year follow-up is short. He often says to his patients that he can take their fibroids out but he cannot change them. After myomectomy, one-fourth of them will see fibroids come back -- but that is five or six years later. So, according to Bryan Cowan, these people in the Goodwin read have not entered that time threshold.

I’d like to mention here that fibroids are benign tumors -- not cancers -- that arise inside the uterus; doctors ring them uterine myomas or leiomyomata. As a rule, they normally don't cause symptoms. But when they do, women may suffer excessive or painful bleeding during menstruation, bleeding between menstrual periods, abdominal pressure, frequent urination, pain during sex, and or low back pain. Removal of the uterus -- hysterectomy -- is the only sure way to stop fibroids and to make sure they never come back. Yet, hysterectomy results in sterility. It is a fact that fibroids are the actuation for up to 40% of the 150,000 to 200,000 hysterectomies performed each year in the U.S.

Caring much about raising of the birth rate and about healthy living of children and mothers in my country and all over the world, I’m going to pay much attention to the question of the women’s health. This article will be first. I hope it will be really useful for you as it is based on the results of very important researches.

It is important for women, especially those aged 18-24, to consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily through supplements, fortified foods, or both in addition to a folate-rich diet. It will help to prevent serious birth defects called neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord. That recommendation goes for any lady of childbearing age, even whether she's not trying to conceive, for many pregnancies aren't planned. Among American women only 40% accept a daily supplement containing folic acid. That part is even smaller - 30% - among women aged 18-24, who according to researches represent almost a third of all U.S. births. Among all age groups, young women are the least aware about the importance of folic acid consumption.

Folic acid can be found in many vitamin and mineral supplements. It has also been added to most enriched breads, flours, and other grain products for the last 10 years. Folate, a B-vitamin that's the natural form of folic acid, is also found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, as well as in black-eyed peas and beef liver.

One thing I want to recommend you strongly, especially if you are planning to become a Mother – take care about your health. That is truly important both for you and for your child. And even if you are to think about that – take care of such things in advance.