Pregnancy increases the risk for the occurrence, or worsening, of restless legs syndrome, says an Italian study in the Sept. 28 issue of Neurology.
The study of 606 women found that at least one in four pregnant women experience the syndrome, a movement disorder characterized by an urge to move the legs, generally accompanied by numbness, tingling or burning sensations.
The women were assessed during pregnancy and six months after the birth of their babies. Of the 606 women in the study, 161 (26.6 percent) reported experiencing the problem during pregnancy. For 101 of the women, it was the first time they had experienced RLS. About 25 percent of the women experienced symptoms at least once a week, and 15 percent at least three times a week.
In general, symptoms appeared or worsened around the sixth month of pregnancy and reached a peak during the seventh and eighth months of pregnancy. Rates of restless leg syndrome among the women dropped dramatically around the time of delivery and affected 5 percent to 6 percent of the women six months after delivery.
"The pregnant women most affected by the [restless leg syndrome] were older, had lower values of iron storage indicators, a higher prevalence of insomnia, and snored more than the unaffected group," researcher Dr. Mauro Manconi said in a prepared statement.
This is the first study to show a significant correlation between low iron indicator values and restless leg syndrome risk.
Showing posts with label late pregnancies risks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label late pregnancies risks. Show all posts
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Multiple Births a Health Risk
Women pregnant with twins, triplets or quadruplets are at greater risk of serious health complications than are women carrying just one fetus, according to a Canadian study published on Wednesday.
Researchers at the Universities of Ottawa and Toronto, who studied 4.4 million records for obstetric deliveries in Canada, found that women who carry two or more fetuses are almost 13 times more likely to experience heart failure and more than twice as likely to develop clotting in the legs and lungs -- both leading causes of maternal death.
The findings published in this month's British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology surprised the study's lead author, Dr. Mark Walker, a scientist with the Ottawa Health Research Institute.
"These are young healthy women in the reproductive age window of 16 to 44 where you wouldn't expect to see these health problems," says Walker.
"And the implications of this are two-fold. With women who have multiple gestations, we need to counsel them about these risks and be vigilant for them," he said. "So, if the mother has leg pain, shortness of breath or chest pain, our urgency to look into other problems should be increased."
One obvious example is to consider administering blood thinners to women carrying multiple fetuses who are prescribed bed rest, he said.
Although the study did not distinguish between natural pregnancies and in vitro fertilization, Walker said he hopes his study will send a message to fertility clinics responsible for an explosion in multiple pregnancies in recent years.
"Here's one more cogent reason to develop techniques to ensure that only one baby results from the procedure. I may lose my business as an obstetrician, but it's absolutely safer to have one baby, then wait nine months to have another," he said.
Dr. Jeff Haebe, a reproductive endocrinologist at the University of Ottawa, said 60 per cent of the in vitro fertilizations at his infertility clinic result in only one baby, and he transfers a maximum of two embryos for women aged 37 and younger and no more than three for women 38 and older. "And rarely we might go to four," he said.
While there are no laws in North America limiting the number of embryo implants at one time, Haebe said Canada should follow the lead of some European countries that legislate a maximum of two embryos, regardless of age.
"And I think that's a very good way of handling the problem of multiple births," Haebe said.
Researchers at the Universities of Ottawa and Toronto, who studied 4.4 million records for obstetric deliveries in Canada, found that women who carry two or more fetuses are almost 13 times more likely to experience heart failure and more than twice as likely to develop clotting in the legs and lungs -- both leading causes of maternal death.
The findings published in this month's British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology surprised the study's lead author, Dr. Mark Walker, a scientist with the Ottawa Health Research Institute.
"These are young healthy women in the reproductive age window of 16 to 44 where you wouldn't expect to see these health problems," says Walker.
"And the implications of this are two-fold. With women who have multiple gestations, we need to counsel them about these risks and be vigilant for them," he said. "So, if the mother has leg pain, shortness of breath or chest pain, our urgency to look into other problems should be increased."
One obvious example is to consider administering blood thinners to women carrying multiple fetuses who are prescribed bed rest, he said.
Although the study did not distinguish between natural pregnancies and in vitro fertilization, Walker said he hopes his study will send a message to fertility clinics responsible for an explosion in multiple pregnancies in recent years.
"Here's one more cogent reason to develop techniques to ensure that only one baby results from the procedure. I may lose my business as an obstetrician, but it's absolutely safer to have one baby, then wait nine months to have another," he said.
Dr. Jeff Haebe, a reproductive endocrinologist at the University of Ottawa, said 60 per cent of the in vitro fertilizations at his infertility clinic result in only one baby, and he transfers a maximum of two embryos for women aged 37 and younger and no more than three for women 38 and older. "And rarely we might go to four," he said.
While there are no laws in North America limiting the number of embryo implants at one time, Haebe said Canada should follow the lead of some European countries that legislate a maximum of two embryos, regardless of age.
"And I think that's a very good way of handling the problem of multiple births," Haebe said.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Late-life pregnancies risky, but births are good: study
Despite the high rate of pregnancy complications in women in their 50s, the birth outcomes are generally good, says a new study.
"No severe birth defects related to premature delivery occurred among the babies born to the women in a study, even though the premature birth rate was high," said researchers.
Women who contemplate a pregnancy in their 50s need to be made aware that they face increased health risk and so do their babies.
That doesn't mean that late-life pregnancies should not be attempted, researcher Russell Kirby of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said. Kirby was a researcher on one of the few other published studies to examine birth outcomes among women 50 and older.
Researchers from Israel's Sheba Medical Center studied women who gave birth in their sixth decade and beyond and found that they had a much higher risk of pregnancy and delivery-related complications than women who gave birth in their mid- to late 40s, reported the online edition of health magazine WebMD.
The older women in the study were hospitalised during pregnancy almost three times as often as the 45- to 49-year-old women, and twice as many delivered low-birth-weight babies.
The researchers characterised the findings among women 50 and older as "disturbing".
Over half of the age 50-plus mothers-to-be (63 percent) were hospitalised during pregnancy, compared with 22 percent who were younger than 50.
And 61 percent of the age 50-plus women delivered low-birth-weight babies, compared with 32 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 49.
"I would be a strong advocate of patient choice in this matter, but women have to know the risks," Kirby said.
"No severe birth defects related to premature delivery occurred among the babies born to the women in a study, even though the premature birth rate was high," said researchers.
Women who contemplate a pregnancy in their 50s need to be made aware that they face increased health risk and so do their babies.
That doesn't mean that late-life pregnancies should not be attempted, researcher Russell Kirby of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said. Kirby was a researcher on one of the few other published studies to examine birth outcomes among women 50 and older.
Researchers from Israel's Sheba Medical Center studied women who gave birth in their sixth decade and beyond and found that they had a much higher risk of pregnancy and delivery-related complications than women who gave birth in their mid- to late 40s, reported the online edition of health magazine WebMD.
The older women in the study were hospitalised during pregnancy almost three times as often as the 45- to 49-year-old women, and twice as many delivered low-birth-weight babies.
The researchers characterised the findings among women 50 and older as "disturbing".
Over half of the age 50-plus mothers-to-be (63 percent) were hospitalised during pregnancy, compared with 22 percent who were younger than 50.
And 61 percent of the age 50-plus women delivered low-birth-weight babies, compared with 32 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 49.
"I would be a strong advocate of patient choice in this matter, but women have to know the risks," Kirby said.
