International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Newborn babies should not be given sugar for pain relief, according to a new study.

Contrary to existing medical practice, research in the journal The Lancet suggests feeding newborns sugar may cause brain damage.

Noting where a baby's attention and gaze lie could be an early, yet subtle, indicator of autism, according to a new study.

When left to their own devices, babies who are considered to be at high risk from the disorder tend to become fixated by a non-social toy, the study by researchers at the US Kennedy Krieger institute and University of Delaware revealed.

If women at high risk of breast or ovarian cancer, due to a certain genetic disposition, undergo preventative surgery they could reduce the chance of developing either condition, a new study has revealed.

Eating a high-fat diet during puberty can increase the chances of girls getting breast cancer later in life, according to a new study.

Mothers who choose not to breastfeed are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Breastfeeding helps new mothers shift some of the fat which remains around the abdomen post-pregnancy - one of the factors behind the condition - according to researchers from the US University of Pittsburgh.

Women who take decongestants during pregnancy are less at risk of having their child prematurely.

According to researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health in the US, women who took the over-the-counter remedy during their second or third trimester had a 58 per cent lower risk of pre-term delivery.

Babies who are six months old become stressed out when they do not get the attention they think they should, according to a new study.

When they are ignored by their mother for as little time as two minutes, levels of the stress hormone cortisol rise and they are high even a day later because the babies are worried the same thing will happen again, Canadian researchers found.

Testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) is becoming more commonplace, it has been suggested.

Jason Warriner, clinical director at the Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity which works to improve sexual health in the UK, said increased testing within the community is having a positive effect.

Multiple births are the "single biggest risk" of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, for both mothers and babies, it has been suggested.

Young women under the age of 25 are most at risk from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to experts.

They are "particularly vulnerable" to picking them up, a Health Protection Agency (HPA) study has shown.