Failure of contraceptive implants sets back battle against teen pregnancies

Bad press surrounding 584 cases in which women trusting in Implanon implants fell pregnant is a blow to family-planning advisers

Do 600 unwanted pregnancies really make an exceptional story?

Ben Goldacre: Media claims about contraceptive implant 'failure' don't put figures into context

Mother dies of swine flu two weeks after birth

Suffolk woman Sarah Applin died a fortnight after giving birth to her second child

Hundreds become pregnant despite contraceptive implant Implanon

Complaints about scarring, incorrect fitting, device failure and other problems also made to medical regulators

Online IVF calculator will predict chances of fertility treatment success

Web resource based on five years of medical records aims to tell women their likelihood of giving birth with 99% accuracy

The best age to become a mother – between 20 and 35

Leader of UK's maternity doctors warns against trend towards older motherhood and says schools could help to teach youngsters the best age for childbearing

More than one in 20 pregnant women severely obese

NHS is ill-equipped to cope with heavier mothers, increased health risks and higher likelihood of stillbirths

Fertility changes with the seasons

Kate Ravilious: Does the month in which you were born affect how fertile you are?

Leading midwife says staff shortages risk safety of mothers and babies

Cathy Warwick accuses government of backtracking on pre-election pledge to hire 3,000 more NHS midwives

Midwife staff cuts put women giving birth at risk

The combination of staff cuts, a 19% increase in births and more complex pregnancies has put maternity units under pressure