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.

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

Scientists have discovered that the heartbeat of the mother and her unborn baby synchronise when she breathes.

The researchers, from the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland, UK, said the connection could pave the way for new techniques to be implemented which detect development problems during gestation.

Drinking during pregnancy gets more dangerous the older the mother is, according to new research.

Foetuses of mothers-to-be in their 30s and early 40s who drink are far more vulnerable to alcohol, researchers from the University of New Mexico, US, found.

There needs to be more one-to-one care for pregnant women and every mother-to-be should have one midwife assigned to them, it has been suggested.

Recent research published in the British Medical Journal revealed the risk of neonatal death was higher when babies were delivered outside the normal working week.