Population-based preconception genetic carrier screening programmes (PCS) with expanded panels are currently being developed in the Netherlands. This form of genetic screening for recessive traits differs from other forms of genetic testing and screening in that it is offered to persons not known to have an increased risk of being carriers of genetic traits for severe recessive diseases and in ...

Background Graves' hyperthyroidism affects 0.2% of pregnant women. Establishing the correct diagnosis and effectively managing Graves' hyperthyroidism in pregnancy remains a challenge for physicians. Main The goal of this paper is to review the diagnosis and management of Graves' hyperthyroidism in pregnancy. The paper will discuss preconception counseling, etiologies of hyperthyroidism, thyr...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease with a high prevalence in females of childbearing age. Thus, reproduction in SLE patients is a major concern for clinicians. In the past, SLE patients were advised to defer pregnancy because of poor pregnancy outcomes and fear of SLE flares during pregnancy. Investigations to date show that maternal and fetal risks ...

Substance abuse poses significant health risks to childbearing-aged women in the United States and, for those who become pregnant, to their children. Alcohol is the most prevalent substance consumed by childbearing-aged women, followed by tobacco, and a variety of illicit drugs. Substance use in the preconception period predicts substance use during the prenatal period. Evidence-based methods f...

In February 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored a workgroup meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on the use of family medical history information in pediatric primary care and public health. The meeting focused on pediatric topics as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Family History Public Health Initiative. One outcome of the meeting was a series of publi...

Researchers in numerous studies have suggested that preconception paternal occupational exposures to various substances, including pesticides and herbicides, may be involved in the etiology of childhood cancers. Using data from the Northern Region Young Persons' Malignant Disease Registry, the authors investigated whether paternal occupations likely to involve such exposures, as recorded at the...

BACKGROUND The mechanisms through which allergies can be inhibited after preconception immunization with allergens are not fully understood. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal immunization can induce a regulatory B (B10) cell population in offspring in concert with allergy inhibition. METHODS C57BL/6 females were or were not immunized with OVA and were mated with normal WT males. Their off...

abouT one in Twelve infanTs born in rhode island during 2004–2006 were low birth weight and nearly one in ten were premature. These conditions greatly increase the risk of perinatal complications and of disability and poor health across the life course. Nationally, there is evidence of preconception care effectiveness for screening/referral of reproductive risks, folate supplementation, and tre...

Given that nearly one-half of pregnancies are unintended, preconception care should be considered an integral part of primary care for women of reproductive age. Common issues in preconception care include family planning, achieving a healthy body weight, screening and treatment for infectious diseases, updating appropriate immunizations, and reviewing medications for teratogenic effects. Women...

During pregnancy, the thyroid gland must produce 50% more thyroid hormone to maintain the euthyroid state. Women with decreased thyroid reserve preconception, most typically due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis, may develop hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Data over the last 20 years have reported a strong association between subclinical hypothyroidism and adverse maternal/fetal events. As a result o...