International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Women who are overweight and obese at the time of their pregnancy are more likely to require specialist medical care due to an increased risk of adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes, a new study suggests.

Liberia has announced that it has approved the use of 7.1 per cent Clorhexidine Digluconate (four per cent free chiorhexidine) (CHX) to tackle umbilical cord infections.

The president of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete has instructed the Dar es Salaam regional authorities to construct a new clinical facility that would be used solely for the purpose of improving the region's maternal and newborn health care.

Malaria is responsible for 11 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria, it has been claimed.

Professor Emmanuel Otolorin, Jhpiego country director, said there is a need to create awareness about the dangers of the disease to ensure pregnant women and children have access to malaria commodities, according to Premium Times.

The scores used to determine the effectiveness of newborn intensive care units (NICU) have little consistency, according to new research.

Scientists at the University of Michigan published the results of their study, which compared ten widely used scores to evaluate NICUs, in the journal Pediatrics.

Maternal diet has been shown to be a reliable indicator of the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in newborns and infants.

Doctors believe they have successfully cured a child who was born with HIV.

The blood pressure of a pregnant woman has been shown to have an effect on the future health of an infant in new research.

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen found that mild maternal hypertension early on in the pregnancy can actually lead to benefits for the foetus, but that high blood pressure in late pregnancy can have negative health consequences for the child.

Smoking bans have been shown to have an association with a reduction in preterm births.

A team of researchers from Hasselt University in Belgium looked at the number of babies being born before 37 weeks' gestation after Belgium's three most recent pieces of smoking legislation.

A new study of 85,000 Norwegian children has revealed that the maternal use of folic acid can lower the risk of an infant being born with autistic disorder.