World’s Mothers Report ranks Israel below Cuba on list of best places to raise children. Norway ranks first, while Niger takes last spot Israel ranked 45 in the State of The World’s Mothers Report, which ranks the countries where it is easiest to raise children. The three top spots, unsurprisingly, were taken by Norway, Iceland and Sweden. The report, which is conducted by Save the Children organization, relies on data collected by the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Published for the past 13 years, the report examines women’s level of education, wages and health...

Babies who spend too long in the womb are twice as likely to suffer behavioural problems in early childhood, researchers have warned. The added risk is similar to that of being born prematurely, which is known to cause health and emotional problems. The first study of its kind found that babies born after a pregnancy of 42 weeks were twice as likely to have long-term problems compared with those born after about 40 weeks – the normal length of a pregnancy. The findings will increase calls for women to be offered induction methods or a caesarean if their pregnancy becomes prolonged. The researchers,...

About 20 percent of teens having sex reported using no method of birth control at all, a level that has remained about the same since 1995 More US teenagers are postponing sex than in 1995, and hormonal contraceptive use is up among those who are sexually active, said US health authorities on Thursday. However, disparities in safe sex practices remain, with white teenagers more likely to regularly use contraception than African-Americans or Hispanics, said the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data came from the National Survey of Family Growth collected for 1995, 2002,...

Teams of scientists working independently have for the first time identified several gene mutations that they agree sharply increase the chances that a child will develop autism. They have found further evidence that the risk increases with the age of the parents, particularly in fathers over age 35. The gene mutations are extremely rare and together account for a tiny fraction of autism cases — in these studies, only a handful of children. Experts said the new research gave scientists something they had not had: a clear strategy for building some understanding of the disease’s biological...

New research showing one in 88 U.S. children have autism spectrum disorders is focusing national attention on the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural and minority communities. Figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a 23% increase in autism spectrum cases from 2006 to 2008, and 78% increase since 2002. The largest increases in autism prevalence were found among black and Hispanic children, who have lagged behind whites in previous counts. Numbers are higher for boys, with one in 54 8-year-olds now considered to have autism, Asperger’s...

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Researchers warn test has potential for encouraging sex-selection Pregnant women could find out whether they are carrying a boy or a girl as early as five weeks, after scientists developed a pioneering non-invasive test. A team at Cheil General Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, found that various ratios of two enzymes, which can be extracted from a pregnant mother’s blood, indicate the baby’s gender as early as five or six weeks. Read more…

DEAR ISADORA: My teenage daughter tells me that some of her friends are sexting, sending photos of each other partially undressed. She thinks it’s funny. How can I convince her that this is wrong? Answer: Rather than giving her a lecture on morality or appropriate behavior for teens, which she can ignore, perhaps you can show her that there is a real risk of such photos showing up online and not only embarrassing the people in them but ruining potential opportunities for college or jobs down the line. Dear Isadora: My boyfriend doesn’t fight fair. He calls me all sorts of terrible names...

For two-year-old Connie Lloyd, there was nothing amusing about having a bright red ‘clown’s nose’. Born with a benign tumour that grew to cover her nose, she suffered cruel taunts and name-calling and was told the rare condition could not be cured. But the shy little girl has a reason to smile at last after surgeons defied the odds and left her with a ‘nose like mum’s’. Doctors had spotted a shadow on Connie’s nose at the 26-week scan but when she was born in September 2008, she appeared perfectly healthy. Connie, from Slough, Berkshire, was just a day old when parents Zara Green...

A 29-year-old from Bridgend, South Wales, has become Britain’s youngest grandfather after his 14-year-old (now 15) daughter, Tia, recently gave birth to a baby girl. Shem Davies was also 14 when Tia was born, who celebrated her 15th birthday in hospital after giving birth to her baby girl – Gracie. Shem, who was mistaken by maternity nurses as Gracie’s father, said: “It is an absolute joy to see Gracie thriving. I’m incredibly proud of Tia. She’ll be a brilliant mum. At first I wasn’t overly pleased that she was pregnant but I soon got over that. Now it’s...