Introduction: Iran experienced a dramatic fertility decline during recent decades. There was also an indication of a shift towards later childbearing from 2000. Past research on fertility has shown that the education variable is the most important determinant of fertility behaviors. However, the impact of education on fertility timing in Iran has been less considered. Methods: In a cross secti...

Omega-3 fatty acids play critical roles during fetal growth and development with increased intakes associated with improved maternal-fetal outcomes. Omega-3 fatty acid intake in Western diets is low, and the impact of socioeconomic factors on omega-3 fatty acid intake in pregnant women and women of childbearing age has not been reported. We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Sur...

Fertility preferences are an essential component of family planning program evaluation; however, doubts about their validity in sub-Saharan Africa exist and little methodological assessment has been carried out. This study investigates prospective fertility intentions in terms of their temporal stability, intensity, degree of spousal agreement, and association with future childbearing in northe...

BACKGROUND The maintenance of healthy lifestyles is of great importance to prevent pregnancy-related diseases at early stages. For this reason, the knowledge of the overall wellbeing of women at childbearing-age is necessary to provide appropriate advice to maintain or improve the nutritional status. The aim of this research was to assess the lifestyles of childbearing-age women planning a preg...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of major congenital malformations associated with antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment in pregnancy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using data from The Health Improvement Network, we identified women who have given live birth and their offspring. Four subgroups were selected based on the AED treatment in early pregnancy, valproate, carbamazepi...

OBJECTIVE Bipolar disorder affects 0.5%-1.5% of individuals in the United States. The typical age at onset is late adolescence or early adulthood, placing women at risk for episodes throughout their reproductive years. General guidelines for the treatment of bipolar disorder are available from the American Psychiatric Association, but additional issues arise when these guidelines are applied in...

Commentary This article is one of many reporting the outcome of the NEAD (Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs) study, a major and important prospective evaluation of women receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy. Epilepsy is a chronic condition that occurs throughout the lifespan. It is also a condition that can be life threatening if left untreated; typically, treat...

Recent studies have suggested that disomic oocyte-mediated uniparental disomy 15 (UPD(15)mat) is increased in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) born after medically assisted reproduction (MAR). However, it remains unknown whether the increase is primarily due to MAR procedure itself or advanced maternal childbearing ages as a predisposing factor for the disomic oocyte production. To exa...