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Early pregnancy endings are an overlooked workplace issue – here’s how that could change
Jo Brewis, Professor of People and Organisations, The Open University; Ilaria Boncori, University of Essex, and Julie Davies, UCL In the UK, early pregnancy endings are defined as pregnancies that end before 24 weeks’ gestation. These include miscarriages, abortions (sometimes called terminations), ectopic pregnancies where an embryo implants outside of the womb, and molar pregnancies […]
Perinatal anxiety: one in five women experience it – but many still suffer alone before or after childbirth
Becoming a parent is usually celebrated as a happy time. But it can often be stressful and overwhelming, too. While some anxiety at this time is normal, around one in five women may experience something called perinatal anxiety during their pregnancy through the first year after giving birth. This condition is characterised by high levels […]
Perinatal anxiety: research finds lack of support for women
Around 15-25% of women experience significant levels of anxiety in the perinatal period (pregnancy and a year after childbirth). Despite being treatable, most women experiencing perinatal anxiety (PNA) don’t seek help. “There is so much pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’ these days, and there are a lot of unrealistic expectations around motherhood, so when […]
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Three days is still too long to hold pregnant women in immigration detention
It’s been two years since a coalition of lobbying groups in the UK successfully challenged Home Office policy on the immigration detention of pregnant women. Under the new policy, enforced in mid-July 2016, pregnant women can now only be detained for a maximum of 72 hours (three days), or up to one week with the […]
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Does air pollution increase the risk of stillbirth?
New research suggests pregnant women exposed to air pollution – like car emissions or industrial waste fumes – could face an increased risk of stillbirth. But an Open University statistics expert says that’s not necessarily the case. “I don’t think these new findings should be a serious cause for concern for individual pregnant women – if […]
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OU expert on ‘pregnancy, artificial sweetener and overweight children’ stats
Research into women who consume diet fizzy drinks during pregnancy has revealed they’re more likely to have overweight children by the time they reach their first birthday. The study was conducted by a university in Canada with 3,000 women. But Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the OU, says casual conclusions can’t be drawn […]
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‘50% increased risk of miscarriage’ due to thrush drug? OU statistician reveals the real risk to pregnant women
Professor Kevin McConway, Professor of Applied Statistics, writes about the numbers behind the headlines and reveals the real risk of miscarriage to pregnant women who are taking a particular drug to treat thrush is nowhere near 50%… A recent article in the Daily Mail with the worrying headline “Pregnant women who take drug to treat […]
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