Pregnant women who work at least two night shifts in a week may increase their risk of miscarriage in the next seven days, a new European study finds. Danish researchers led by Dr. Luise Moelenberg Begtrup, from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Kobenhavn, analyzed data on nearly…  read on >

Some 1.5 million people in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder. People with autism need family and friends to help evaluate what they need to be safe and protected, says Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks mentions some safety risks for people with autism: Wandering. Drowning. Household poisons. Misunderstanding due to communication issues. Source: HealthDay

Two medical groups have declared war on sodas and energy drinks by calling for taxes on what has become the leading source of sugar in the diets of children and teens. In a new joint policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) also recommended a host of other…  read on >

When it comes to reading to toddlers, apparently there is no substitute for an old-fashioned book. That’s according to new research that found paper books foster better parent-child interactions than electronic books do. This held true even when comparing print books against very basic e-readers that don’t contain distracting elements like sound effects or animation,…  read on >

When couples experience recurrent pregnancy loss, it’s natural for them to want to know why. Now, a new study suggests that sperm DNA damage could be a factor. Recurrent pregnancy loss is defined as the consecutive loss of three or more pregnancies before 20 weeks’ gestation. It affects up to 2 percent of couples and,…  read on >

People transitioning female to male face issues around future fertility. But new research suggests children in the future are a real possibility for these transgender men. Now, research shows that transgender men can remain fertile after even one year of testosterone treatment. It’s common for transgender men — those who were born female but who…  read on >

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder that usually shows symptoms in childhood. Vocalizations and repetitive involuntary movements called tics often surface among children between the ages of 3 and 9. Tics may include blinking, shrugging, jerking, sniffing or grunting. The most disabling tics are motor movements that result in self-harm or coprolalia, which are inappropriate…  read on >

Fathers-to-be who expose their pregnant partners to secondhand smoke put their babies at risk of heart defects, researchers warn. For the new study, investigators in China reviewed 125 studies that included a total of nearly 9 million prospective parents and more than 137,000 babies with congenital heart defects. All types of parental smoking were linked…  read on >

Expectant moms often try to plan as many aspects of their upcoming delivery as they can. But one thing they might not consider is what type of pain relief they will choose if they need to have a C-section. Now, new research from the University of Texas suggests that while opioids can control pain, a…  read on >

Gun-related deaths among school-age children in the United States are increasing at alarming rates, researchers report. In 2017, gun violence claimed more 5- to 18-year-olds than police officers or active-duty members of the U.S. military, according to a chilling new study led by investigators from Florida Atlantic University. “It is sobering that in 2017, there…  read on >