International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Pregnancy advice will be delivered to pregnant women and new mothers via text messages as part of a new health education programme that has been announced in the US.

The free service, called text4baby, was announced by US chief technology officer Aneesh Chpra.

"Text4baby is the first free mobile health service to be taken to scale in the United States. We know that mobile phones hold tremendous potential to inform and empower individuals," he said.

Timely health information will be provided to women via the service from the early stages of pregnancy through their child's first year.

It is supported by a coalition of mobile phone service providers, health professionals, and federal, state, and local agencies.

Carriers that are participating in the scheme include Alltel, Assurance Wireless, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cellular South, Cellcom, Centennial Cellular and Cincinnati Bell.

This week the myth that women become infertile after they reach the age of 35 was quashed as the Family Planning Association (FPA) pointed out that more women are having unplanned pregnancies in their late 30s and 40s.

Posted by Martine Ward