Pregnancy
length can vary naturally by as much as 5 weeks
Washington:
A new study has found that the length of a human pregnancy can vary naturally
by as much as five weeks.
Normally,
women are given a date for the likely delivery of their baby that is calculated
as 280 days after the onset of their last menstrual period.
Yet, only
four percent of women deliver at 280 days and only 70 percent deliver within 10
days of their estimated due date, even when the date is calculated with the
help of ultrasound.
Now, for the first time, researchers in the USA have been able to pinpoint the precise point at which a woman ovulates and a fertilised embryo implants in the womb during a naturally conceived pregnancy, and follow the pregnancy through to delivery.
Now, for the first time, researchers in the USA have been able to pinpoint the precise point at which a woman ovulates and a fertilised embryo implants in the womb during a naturally conceived pregnancy, and follow the pregnancy through to delivery.
Using this information, they have been able to calculate the
length of 125 pregnancies.
"We found that the average time from ovulation to birth was 268 days - 38 weeks and two days," Dr Anne Marie Jukic, a postdoctoral fellow in the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Durham, USA), part of the National Institutes for Health, said.
"However, even after we had excluded six pre-term births, we found that the length of the pregnancies varied by as much as 37 days.
"We found that the average time from ovulation to birth was 268 days - 38 weeks and two days," Dr Anne Marie Jukic, a postdoctoral fellow in the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Durham, USA), part of the National Institutes for Health, said.
"However, even after we had excluded six pre-term births, we found that the length of the pregnancies varied by as much as 37 days.
"We were a bit surprised by this finding. We know that length of gestation varies among women, but some part of that variation has always been attributed to errors in the assignment of gestational age. Our measure of length of gestation does not include these sources of error, and yet there is still five weeks of variability. It`s fascinating," she said.
The research is published online in Europe`s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.
07.08.2013
Over 11 lakh
abortions in a year in India: Govt
New Delhi: A total of 11.06 lakh abortions were recorded in
the country in 2008-09, according to government data.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said data on the numbers of unsafe abortions in the country is not available in the Central Health Management and Information System of National Rural Health Mission or national level surveys.
"As per Registrar General of India- Sample Registration System (RGI -SRS) (2001-03), 8 per cent of maternal deaths in the country are attributed to `abortions`.
"Further, as per WHO global and regional estimates 2008, on unsafe abortion, 13 per cent of maternal deaths are attributed to unsafe abortions in the South Central Asia region," Azad said a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
He said while there are no estimates on the magnitude of unsafe abortions in India, or the numbers of deaths per one lakh abortions in the region, a WHO report on Unsafe abortion states that, "a large number of unsafe abortions reportedly take place in India.
"The same Report has also provided an estimate of 200 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions in the South Central Asia Region."
The Minister said funds are being provided to states/ UTs for operationalisation of safe abortion services at health facilities including procurement of equipment and drugs.
Listing other steps taken with regard to safe abortions, he said capacity building of medical officers in safe abortion technology and of ANMs, ASHAs and other field functionaries to provide confidential counselling for safe abortion and promote post-abortion care including adoption of contraception has been made.
He added that certification of private and NGO sector facilities through district level committees to provide quality MTP services has been introduced.
07.08.2013
Strength does
not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will
Gandhi
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