Women's Health: High post-pregnancy BMI raises pelvic organ prolapse risk ♦ Young women more likely to die in hospital after STEMI ♦ Products expectant mothers should avoid during first trimester

High post-pregnancy BMI raises pelvic organ prolapse risk Maintaining a normal body mass index (BMI) is important for good cardiovascular health and blood sugar control, but maintaining it after pregnancy can also be key to preventing pelvic organ prolapse, according to a new study.

Young women more likely to die in hospital after STEMI Young women with ST-elevation myocardial infarction were less likely to receive life-saving angioplasty and stenting to restore blood flow to blocked arteries than men and also had longer hospital stays and higher rates of in-hospital mortality.

Young women less likely to be informed of heart disease risk by providers Even when young women had a similar or greater risk for heart disease than young men, they were 11 percent less likely to report that healthcare providers told them they were at-risk for heart disease prior to a heart attack

Scientists uncover signal for when a pregnant woman is about to go into labor A cellular signal in the amniotic fluid around the fetus has been found to build up when a pregnant woman is about to go into labor, say scientists. The researchers used amniotic fluid samples from 50 women in labor and 51 women at the end of their pregnancy but not in yet in labor. They also acquired demographic information from patient interviews and medical information from their medical records.

Products expectant mothers should avoid during first trimester Expectant mothers in their first trimester should avoid certain cosmetics, cleaning agents and medicines, to protect the developing fetal brain from chemicals that can trigger autism.