Women should be barred from agreeing to elective caesareans for lifestyle rather than medical reasons, according to a survey of mothers' opinions for a leading pregnancy charity.
Mothers who reported high levels of anxiety in late pregnancy were twice as likely to have children with behavioural or emotional problems at the age of four, and this was still true when the children were seven, says a recent study.
A new test may soon be available to screen pregnant women for pre-eclampsia, a common condition which can be fatal for the baby and sometimes for the mother, researchers in the US report today.
Hannah Pool: Having had three pregnant friends confide that their skin has suddenly gone 'haywire', I thought I'd call pregnancy skin care expert Zita West.
Women who are underweight find it difficult to conceive, as do those who are overweight, but the latter are more likely to suffer from complications during pregnancy.