HEALTH (MSM)

Mother of all battles in scarcity-hit Venezuela: having a baby

By Alexandra Ulmer MARACAIBO, Venezuela (Reuters) – Her belly bulging, Hilda Angarita hauls herself to five different drug stores in the sweltering Venezuelan city of Maracaibo until she finally finds post-cesarean patches. Over the previous nine months, Angarita’s life has been consumed with searching for vitamins, calcium, diapers and medicines amid widespread shortages in recession-hit Venezuela. The shortages are compounded in places like Maracaibo, a western city near Colombia.

Miscarriage, abortion may pose similar risks for next pregnancy

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – First-time mothers who have had a miscarriage or abortion early in a previous pregnancy may face an increased risk of complications during delivery, an Israeli study suggests. The research found a past terminated pregnancy was linked to slightly higher rates of induced labor, cesarean sections and retained placenta after delivery, but whether the first pregnancy was ended intentionally or spontaneously made little difference. “Since