Women are known to outlive men. And that advantage may start early, according to researchers who've found baby girls more likely to survive famines, epidemics and other misfortunes. The fact that females have this advantage in infancy -- when there are few behavioral differences between the sexes -- suggests biology may be at least partly responsible, the researchers said. "Our results add another piece to the puzzle of gender differences in survival," said study leaders Virginia Zarulli, from the University of Southern Denmark, and James Vaupel, from Duke University. They examined about 250 years of data on people who died at age 20 or younger due to severe circumstances. These included sla
Nearly half of U.S. women have at least a mild deficiency in the nutrient iodine, and new research suggests it could impair their fertility. Iodine -- a mineral that helps regulate metabolism -- is found in seafood, iodized salt, dairy products, and some fruits and vegetables. But in a new study of 467 American women who were trying to get pregnant, those with moderate-to-severe iodine deficiency were 46 percent less likely to get pregnant during each menstrual cycle than those with sufficient iodine levels. Even women with mildly deficient iodine levels had a slightly harder time getting pregnant, according to researchers led by Dr. James Mills of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health
Women have more options than previously thought for how to undergo in-vitro fertilization, according to two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Frozen embryos are not more effective than fresh embryos for all women, according to researchers from China and Vietnam who published their findings in the the New England Journal of Medicine. This could challenge the long-held belief of fertility specialists that freezing and thawing embryos before implanting them offers a better chance of successful pregnancy and birth. Doctors came to that conclusion — freezing embryos before implanting works best — because it has been proven to be true for women experiencing infertility
Ibuprofen has a negative impact on the testicles of young men, a study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. When taking ibuprofen in doses commonly used by athletes, a small sample of young men developed a hormonal condition that typically begins, if at all, during middle age. This condition is linked to reduced fertility. Advil and Motrin are two brand names for ibuprofen, an over-the-counter pain reliever. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group that represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medications and supplements, "supports and encourages continued research and promotes ongoing consumer education to help ensure
Women who breathe polluted air during the month right before or after they get pregnant may be more likely to have babies with birth defects, a U.S. recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on birth defects for almost 290,000 infants born in Ohio from 2006 to 2010, matching these records with air pollution measurements near mothers’ homes. They focused on what’s known as fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that’s found in traffic exhaust and can include dust, dirt, soot, and smoke. Higher levels of PM 2.5 exposure in the month before and after pregnancy were associated with a small but statistic
If you're pregnant, a new study released today may give you one more reason to listen to your doctor if he or she prescribes a folic acid or multivitamin supplement. Researchers in Israel studied 45,300 children born between Jan. 1, 2003 and Dec. 31, 2007, also looking at survey data that indicated whether their mothers were prescribed multivitamin and folic acid supplements. The children were followed from birth to Jan. 26, 2015. "Maternal vitamin deficiency during pregnancy is inconsistently associated with cognitive functioning in offspring. ... Hence, FA (folic acid) and multivitamin supplements are routinely recommended to pregnant women," the study's authors said. "Our study aims to ex
