Researchers from the CDC analyzed data from 13,155 women who had children with birth defects. They found statistically significant correlations with antibiotic use. Two classes were identified as the main culprits: sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins (commonly used to treat UTI’s e.g., Macrobid). Other classes of antibiotics such as penicillins, erythromycins and cephalosporins seemed safer and were not significantly associated with birth defects, though there were some.
 
The main point here is that we need to be very careful with indiscriminate use of antibiotics. If you are sick, it doesn’t mean you have a bacterial infection and if you have a bacterial infection it doesn’t mean that just any antibiotic will kill it. There are also a lot of people taking antibiotics prophylactically during pregnancy to prevent all sorts of things like UTI’s, etc. I think this study is a wake up call. We should only use antibiotics when they are necessary and when we know that the organism is susceptible to the particular antibiotic.
 
Also note, that the women they looked at included women who took antibiotics one month before becoming pregnant. Prevention is the best medicine and during pregnancy there are many things you can do that have been proven to optimize your immune system such as acupuncture, good food choices, moderate exercise and stress relief.
 
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2009; 163 (11): 978

In this disturbing study, chicks exposed to mobile phone radiation had a 75% miscarriage rate. Chicks not exposed had only a 16% miscarriage rate. Now a chick is much smaller than we are, so we would have to use a mobile phone the size of a small elephant to get the same relative intensity of exposure. However, in this study their exposure was only for 21 days and our exposures are much longer than that. While this study certainly is far from being conclusive for humans, nonetheless it is very disturbing and if you are pregnant, I would recommend keeping your cell phones on airplane mode or off entirely. Turn them on when you need to make a call … that’s what I do. If you absolutely have to be reached then get a pager and keep it away from your belly.
 
Radiats Biol Radioecol. 2003 Sep-Oct;43(5):541-3.

A very interesting study conducted on 900 Mhz frequencies found that they reduced thyroid function in rats. 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks only. Compare this to the average person talking on the cell phone for hours a day seven days per week, 52 weeks per year for many years. By the way, regular cordless phones are also frequently at 900Mhz, so these can also cause problems. Now other frequencies are being used as well, but we don’t yet have data on how they may be affecting us. Note that the study said it “lowers TSH and T4 and T3″, but they probably meant that it raises TSH and lowers T4, T3. Regardless, T3 is the more active form so if that is reduced then your thyroid function is reduced.
 
Toxicol Lett. 2005 Jul 4;157(3):257-62.

A New study found that homocysteine and MTHFR (a gene involved in folic acid metabolism) are risk factors in developing Down Syndrome. We discussed both of these in our lecture on improving ovarian reserve and how to reduce homocysteine and improve folate metabolism. The standard treatment is simply to take B6, B12 and folic acid, but the type of B6, B12 and folate are important. These are also important to prevent your own cardiovascular risk factors, so if you are trying to get pregnant, its very worthwhile to get these checked.

Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi. 2007 Oct;24(5):533-7.

We all knew that caffeine lowers your chances of carrying a successful pregnancy, but did you know that smoking can counteract that? Yes, it turns out that smoking may upregulate the enzymes that detoxify caffeine … so it doesn’t stay in your system as long to cause problems for your fertility. But don’t get too excited because smoking can cause a laundry list of damaging affects to your reproductive system and to a fetus… not to mention a newborn.
 
Reprod Toxicol. 1998 May-Jun;12(3):289-95. Caffeine intake and fecundability: a follow-up study among 430 Danish couples planning their first pregnancy. Jensen TK, Henriksen TB, Hjollund NH, Scheike T, Kolstad H, Giwercman A, Ernst E, Bonde JP, Skakkebaek NE, Olsen J. Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

A recent study looking at acupuncture’s effects on insomnia found that stimulating Ht7 increased melatonin output and improved sleep in people with insomnia. Interesting, melatonin also has protective effects on cancers such as breast cancer and it may have important ramifications for fertility, pregnancy, heart disease, and many other factors.

Minerva Med. 2008 Dec;99(6):539-47.

Marijuana for nicer kids
Saturday, 06 September 2008

Ok, so this is just one study, but quite a surprise to me … I was researching negative effects of marijuanna on ovaries and came across a pretty interesting study done on Jamaican women who were heavy marijuana users. The short of it is that marijuana seems to greatly improve your experience of pregnancy and it gives your kids a stronger nervous system and better disposition. In the words of the researchers:

“Although marijuana use during pregnancy is discouraged in prenatal clinics and through government-sponsored prevention programs, the consumption of marijuana during pregnancy by Jamaican women is not necessarily indicative of a mother’s lack of concern about the health and development of her infant. Supported by the folk belief that marijuana has health-rendering properties and by the experience of relatives and neighbors, women use it as a vehicle for dealing with the difficult circumstances surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. For instance, 19 of the marijuana smokers in the sample reported that it increased their appetites throughout the prenatal period and / or relieved the nausea of pregnancy. Fifteen reported using it to relieve fatigue and provide rest during pregnancy. All the mothers considered the effects of marijuana on nausea and fatigue to be good for both themselves and their infants.”

The conclusion of the study demonstrated objective results:

“offspring of heavy-marijuana using mothers had significantly higher scores on the Orientation cluster, on the Autonomic Stability cluster, and on Reflexes (see Table 4). Due to the intercorrelation among the variables comprising each cluster, no t scores or P values are reported for individual items. Nevertheless, a comparison of individual item scores showed that neonates of heavy users had higher scores on habituation to auditory and tactile stimuli, and to animate auditory stimuli, the degree of alertness, capacity for consolability, irritability (ie, less irritable), and had fewer startles and tremors.” The comparisons on the supplementary items revealed significant differences on all seven variables, with the neonates of mothers who were heavy-marijuana users performing more optimally on these items.

Pediatrics, February 1994, Volume 93, Number 2, pp. 254-260.
American Academy of Pediatrics

From the Schools of Nursing, Education, and Public Health, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Received for publication Sep 21, 1992; accepted Jun 30, 1993.
Reprint requests to (M.D.) School of Nursing, the University of Massachusetts,
111 Arnold House, Amherst, MA 01003.
Pediatrics (ISSN 0031 4005). Copyright © 1994 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Prenatal Marijuana Exposure and Neonatal Outcomes in Jamaica:
An Ethnographic Study

Melanie C. Dreher, PhD; Kevin Nugent, PhD; and Rebekah Hudgins, MA

A recent study published in the second issue for July of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that eating nuts (particularly peanuts) increased the child’s risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy
 
Interestingly there was a small but significant protective benefit for pregnant women who consumed fruit daily.

Phthalates are already known to be environmental toxins that effect reproductive development; now a recent study in Pediatrics shows that they are harmful to babies. Infants are especially vulnerable to the developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalates due to their undeveloped metabolism, and this is evidenced in the concentration of phthalates in their urine. Infants are exposed to phthalates via baby lotions, powders and shampoo.

Phthalates also make plastics flexible, and are found in tablecloths, shower curtains, floor tiles, garden houses, rainwear, ziploc bags, etc. Phthalates are continuously released into the air or leach into liquids, causing exposure through ingestion, inhalation and through the skin. Unfortunately, the U.S. does not require product labeling for phthalate content.

To minimize phthalate exposures, limit the use of infant care products, unless indicated for a medical reason.

PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 2 February 2008, pp. e260-e268.

Vitamin K deficiency has been associated with hyperemesis gravidarum (vomiting during pregnancy). This is a very common symptom and it is a good idea to talk to your doctor about supplementing with Vitamin K if you are experiencing these symptoms…particularly if they are severe. However, be aware that if you have any clotting factor problems then you need to know which clotting factor is effected and whether or not Vitamin K is appropriate. If you do not have enough vitamin K it can increase the risk of fetal problems such as intracranial hemorrhage and hydrocephalus.
  
Prenat Diagn. 2007 Dec 4. Vitamin K deficiency in hyperemesis gravidarum as a potential cause of fetal intracranial hemorrhage and hydrocephalus.
  
Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Oct;92(4 Pt 2):673-5