Many IVF optional extras – or ‘add-ons’ – are not supported by good-quality evidence that shows they are effective or safe, report Dr Sarah Lensen and Sara Attinger. A new website now helps patients navigate these options For many patients, IVF is a stressful and overwhelming...
Can what you eat during pregnancy and breastfeeding affect whether your child develops food allergies? Researchers Jennifer Koplin, Debbie Palmer and Desalegn Markos Shifti find some answers. Many questions pop up when you’re growing or raising a new baby. Among them, women often wonder if what they eat...
Marian O’Connell finds that her response to her son’s bedtime demands turns from severe frustration to serene reflection. There is an almost imperceptible change in breathing and a certain weightlessness that overcomes a child when they finally fall asleep. This is detectable only to the indulgent...
What Every Hopeful Parent Needs to Know With the rise of egg freezing, more people are preserving their fertility for future parenthood. But what happens when those eggs remain unused? A new study from Monash University and Monash IVF highlights a growing issue: thousands of frozen...
Even low levels of alcohol use during pregnancy are linked to changes in unborn babies report Evelyne Muggli and Professor Alicia Spittle Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a range of severe neurodevelopmental impairments caused by alcohol exposure before birth. People with FASD can experience a wide...
Why do women get ‘reassurance scans’ ? asks Christopher Rudge. And how can you spot a dodgy provider? Recent media coverage in the Nine newspapers highlights a surge in non-medical ultrasound providers offering “reassurance ultrasounds” to expectant parents. The service has resulted in serious harms, such as...
Cathy Watson swore that she would never deflect her children’s questions, but lately they have become increasingly complicated. I think I am a victim of deflective parenting. As a child, I found it hard to understand why, at times, my mother sometimes looked tired and absent...
Sarah Jefferson advises how to help your child return to school after a long illness, new diagnosis or an accident It is very common for children to have a day or two away from school due to illness. But children can also miss much longer...
How you react to disability reveals a lot about you writes Arianne Ryecroft, a mother of three with two children living with disabilities. Our 10-year-old son, Xavier*, was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) at the age of five. Four months later,...
Health insurers are now proposing a new way to make private hospital births more affordable and accessible, giving families more choices when it comes to pregnancy care. The Cost of Private Maternity Care Is Rising – Here’s How It Could Change If you’re expecting a baby and...
