Studies Examine Effects of Parent Smoking and "Aquarobics" During Pregnancy

Wash. Post/HealthDay: Parent Smoking During Pregnancy Raises Kids' Heart Risks, by Ed Edelson:

Damage to the arteries of children of smokers can be detected in the early decades of their lives, a new Dutch study finds....

Uiterwaal and his colleagues reported the finding in the December issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology that they used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the walls of carotid arteries, the major blood vessels to the brain, in 732 young adults, average age 28. Records showed that 29 percent of the mothers and more than 60 percent of the fathers smoked during the pregnancies.

The inner lining of the carotid arteries was thicker for the young adults who had both parents smoking during pregnancy, a sign of potential danger in the years ahead. The thickening was strongest for maternal smoking.

Wash. Post/HealthDay: Aquarobics May Help Ease Labor:

Doing aquarobics during pregnancy reduces the amount of pain-killing medication requested by women during labor, according to a Brazilian study that included 71 expectant mothers.