International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The high maternal mortality rates in Africa need to be addressed by more money being spent on improving healthcare for both mothers and infants.

High maternal mortality rates (MMR) in India could be due to the absence of trained midwives in the country, it has been suggested, highlighting the risks facing women's health.

New research has suggested a link between late pre-term births and a range of short-term morbidities, gynaecology experts have been told.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that these are often based around respiratory conditions and frequently require specialised care or long neonatal hospital stays.

Smokers who develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy risk suffering further complications associated with the disorder.

The UK government will be increasing access to contraception and safe abortion in developing countries around the world.

Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, is launching a consultation on the funding proposal.

Women should try to achieve a healthy pre-pregnancy weight and attempt not to 'eat for two', it has been suggested.

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has issued new guidelines to help with weight management before and during gestation.

Almost 20 per cent of girls who are sexually active have been pregnant at least once by the time they reach 18, according to a UK government survey.

More than a third (36 per cent) had a termination, while just under half (46 per cent) decided to keep their baby.

Women who undergo radiotherapy to the womb or ovaries in childhood could have problems with having a child later in life, according to researchers from the Vanderbilt University in the US.

More women are being diagnosed with cancer of the uterus because they are opting to have fewer children or none at all, new figures suggest.

Over the past 30 years, rates have increased by nearly 50 per cent, reports the UK Daily Mail.

Drinking a cup of coffee during pregnancy is unlikely to increase a women's risk of miscarrying or giving birth prematurely, researchers have said.