Moms-to-be, here’s why you should avoid drinking from plastic bottles

Pregnant women who drink from plastic bottles may be harming their children’s brain development, according to a recent study. The research in mice provides an explanation for how exposure to the widely used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy, even at levels lower than the regulated “safe” human exposure level, can lead to altered brain development and behaviour later in life. A previous study showed that pregnant women drinking from plastic bottles may have obese children. BPA is a chemical that is added to many commercial products, including water bottles, paper…

Read More

Moms-to-be, take care of your health. Your immune system may influence baby’s brain

The state of a woman’s immune system during pregnancy may shape the connectivity of her child’s brain, suggests a study, emphasising the influence of maternal health on a child’s susceptibility to psychiatric disorders later in life. The findings showed that short and long-term brain functioning can be influenced by immune system activity during the third trimester of gestation. Infections, stress, illness, or allergies are commonly known to trigger immune responses. When the body’s immune system detects one of these factors, two proteins namely IL-6 and CRP are released as part…

Read More

Moms-to-be, take note. European experts advise against epilepsy drug in pregnancy

An expert committee of Europe’s medicines watchdog recommended Friday that a drug used to treat epilepsy and linked to malformations in children not be used in pregnancy. The compound, valproate, is also used for migraine and bipolar disorder, and doctors already advised against prescribing the medicine for pregnant women in France. France’s medicines regulator, known by the acronym ANSM, asked the London-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) to conduct a risk review. The EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) said in a statement Friday it was recommending that valproate not be…

Read More

Dear moms-to-be, avoid use of these cosmetic products and creams during pregnancy

If you are an expectant mother in the first trimester, avoid use of cosmetics, cleaning agents and medicines to protect the foetal brain development from chemicals that can trigger autism in your baby, say experts. Archana Dhawan Bajaj, gynecologist and obstetrician at Nurture IVF Centre, and Taruna Dua, consultant and gynecologist at Aakash Healthcare, have listed ingredients and products that should be avoided: * Make-up products like lipstick, lip gloss, lip balms, eyeliners, mascaras, deodorants, foundation, nail polish, body oil, talcum powder, hair removal products and hair dyes can cause a…

Read More