Access to information about pregnancy is crucial for parents to be. For people with learning disabilities, faced with a variety of new choices to make, this is especially true. However, there is little information currently available about pregnancy for people with learning disabilities. As the number of women with learning disabilities becoming pregnant increases, it [read the full story…]
Periodontal disease is common as is pregnancy and preterm labour is a complication in 10-15% of all pregnancies. It is therefore not unsurprising that an association between periodontal disease and pre-term labour has been noted in a number of studies. The aim of this latest review was quantify the relationship between periodontal disease, preterm birth [read the full story…]
It’s not all about the Mental Elf you know. There are lots of other elves who spend every waking hour scurrying around to find reliable evidence to help you. There are now seven magnificent elf websites and one more due to launch very soon. Here’s a quick run down of my brothers and sisters in [read the full story…]
Hormonal changes during pregnancy are considered to affect the response of the gingival tissues, with studies suggesting that 36% – 100% of pregnant women suffer pregnancy gingivitis. The aim of this review was to assess the effect of pregnancy on systemically healthy women in terms of gingival inflammation. The Medline and Embase databases were searched [read the full story…]
Studies have shown that the prevalence of depression in pregnant women is 7-19%. Being depressed during pregnancy can result in preterm delivery, which can in turn lead to illness and even death of the newborn child. Researchers have struggled to single out the causes of these risks. Is it the depression, the medical treatment being [read the full story…]
Events that occur immediately before and after birth (perinatal factors) can often have a significant impact later in life. Research has shown that the risk of many mental health and neurological conditions (schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, autism and eating disorders) increases when complications occur around this time. However, there have been relatively few studies to date [read the full story…]
A number of mental health issues can affect mothers, their babies and their families. This new guidance from the DH provides a pathway to help professionals support mental health and wellbeing, from pregnancy through the early months after birth. The pathway is primarily aimed at health visitors but will also be useful for midwives, mental [read the full story…]
Periodontal disease has been linked with a number of general health conditions and we recently covered the review which noted that the evidence does not support an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease. This multicentre case control study is the latest published study to look at the link between periodontal disease and pre-eclampsia. [read the full story…]
People who take psychiatric drugs are well aware of the daily trade-off between the benefits and the harms of their medication. This is a key consideration for pregnant women with depression, who don’t just have to consider the side effects that may strike them, but also the impact they may have on their unborn child. [read the full story…]
The world’s largest, most comprehensive systematic review into the mental health outcomes of induced abortion has been published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. The review concludes that having an abortion does not increase the risk of mental health problems. The best current evidence suggests that it makes no difference to a woman’s mental [read the full story…]
