While some in the government expressed alarm after the National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, released a document in March stating births to unwed mother reached an all-time high of nearly 40 percent, the rate of births out of wedlock remains low in many states. The National Vital Statistics Report entitled "Births: Preliminary data for 2007"  provides data on all births in United States in 2007 and includes information on the rate of births to unwed mothers in each state. Below is a list of the states with the lowest unwed mother birth rates; each state is followed in parentheses by the percentage of all live births in that state to unwed mothers.


The top 10 states with the lowest rate of births to unwed mothers are:

Utah (19.6%)
Colorado (25.4%)
Idaho (25.5%)
New Hampshire (31.4%)
North Dakota (32.6%)
Minnesota (32.7%)
Washington (33.2%)
Massachusetts (33.4%)
Nebraska (33.4%)
Iowa (34.3%)

For more information about birth, join the Healia Online Community for Pregnancy or the Healia Online Support Group for Childbirth. Find out more about pregnancy by reading the Healia Health Guide to Pregnancy.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National vital statistics reports, Births: Preliminary data for 2007, Web release 03/09; vol 57 no 12. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks all reported births and deaths in the United States, including teen birth rates, and releases that information part of the National Vital Statistics Reports. The just-released report for the year 2006 shows that the birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 years increased, up 3 percent from 2005 after declining for the previous 14 years. Teen birth rates increased significantly in 26 states between 2005 and 2006, representing nearly every region of the country. But not every state was affected; some states have teen birth rates that are less than half of the national average. Below is a list of the states with the lowest teen birth rates in 2006. The rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19 are listed in parentheses.

The top 10 states with the lowest teen birth rates for 2006 are:

1. New Hampshire (18.7 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19). Virtually unchanged from a year ago, New Hampshire has the lowest teen birthrate in the nation, as it did in 2005.
2. Vermont (20.8). New Hampshire’s Northeastern neighbor was also second on the list last year and saw little change in the teen pregnancy rate in 2006.
3. Massachusetts (21.3). Another New England state, Massachusetts also had no change in its teen birth rate from last year and is less than half of the national average.
4. Connecticut (23.5). This densely populated state had a similar teen birth rate in 2006 as in 2005, but this represents a decrease of 42 percent since 1991.      
5. New Jersey (24.9). The Garden State actually saw a six percent increase in teen births from 2005, but remains in the fifth spot.
6. New York (25.7). The Nation’s second largest state saw a three percent decline in teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006, climbing two spots on the list.
7. Maine (25.8). Maine’s teen birth rate stayed about the same in 2006 but the state dropped one spot after being passed up by New York.
8. North Dakota (26.5). This Northern state saw only modest declines in the teen birth rate form the years 1991 to 2005: 16 percent was the smallest decline in the country. But they are making up for that now, with the teen birth rate declining 11 percent in the last year alone.
9. Rhode Island (27.8). With a decline of 11 percent over the 2005 teen birth rate, the Nation’s smallest state moved up four spots and into the top ten.
10. Minnesota (27.9). A seven percent increase in teen birth rate dropped Minnesota down three spots to number ten on the list.

If you have questions about teenage pregnancy, join the Healia Health Community for Teen Health or the Healia Health Community for Pregnancy, or ask the experts at Healia Health Communities.

Related blog post: The Top 10 States with the Highest Teen Birth Rates

_{Source: CDC, Births: Final data for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 57 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf}

_{Photo: LabGP&SigOther, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Caesarian section (C-section) deliveries of full-term babies performed before 39 weeks gestation pose health risks, a new study shows. While 37 weeks gestation is considered full-term, the study provides evidence that babies born by C-section at 37 or 38 weeks face an increased risk of complications including breathing problems, infections, and low blood sugar and are more likely to need intensive care. Due dates are set at 40 weeks gestation.

While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines state that C-sections are safest after 39 weeks of gestation, the operation is commonly performed electively at 37 or 38 weeks. At this stage, mothers may grow tired of being pregnant and want an early C-section, or they may wish to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure that their personal doctor is able to perform the surgery.

The study, published in Thursday’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, examined a C-section registry from 19 academic medical centers to determine how many C-sections were being performed before 39 weeks and the consequences of such early deliveries. The researchers focused on 13,258 women who had a single child by planned Caesarian after having previously given birth by C-section. They excluded cases where C-section was performed because of medical necessity.

The results showed that more than one-third of Caesarians were performed before the fetus had reached 39 weeks gestation. While 8 percent of babies delivered at 39 weeks had some type of complication, 15 percent of babies delivered by C-section at 37 weeks had complications, meaning these babies were almost twice as likely to experience health problems have as babies delivered at 39 weeks. Babies delivered at 38 weeks were 50 percent more likely to experience complications.

The biggest difference was in breathing problems, with babies born at 37 weeks having four times the rate of these problems compared to 39-week babies. In general, babies born by C-section have a higher risk of breathing difficulties than those born vaginally because they miss out on the labor process that helps clear the lungs of fluid.

The risk of complications also increased for births after 41 weeks, leaving a relatively narrow two-week period surrounding the due date as the optimal time to have a C-section. The study did not include the risk of fetal death that might occur while delaying a C-section until week 39, a figure estimated to be 1 in 1000.

The rate of Caesarian sections in the United States has climbed to 31 percent of all births, an all-time high. Several factors have contributed to the rise including older mothers, higher numbers of multiple births, maternal preference, and the risks of having a vaginal birth after a previous C-section.

If you are considering having an elective C-section, the study suggests that the safest time to schedule the procedure is anytime between 39 weeks, 0 days gestation and 40 weeks, 6 days gestation. If you have been counseled to have a C-section earlier than 39 weeks due to complications such as gestational diabetes, the risk of waiting until 39 weeks likely outweighs any benefits. However, if you are planning your C-section at 37 or 38 weeks for convenience, you may want to talk to your doctor about the costs and benefits of holding off until you reach 39 weeks gestation.

For more information on childbirth, join the Healia Health Community for Childbirth or ask the experts at Healia Health Communities.


_{Photo: *clarity*, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The Duggar family of Tontitown, Arkansas is expecting their 18^th addition to the family. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year's Day 2009, and the latest child will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins.

All the Duggar children’s names start with the letter J. The family consists of: Josh, 20;  Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 16; Jessa, 15; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 10; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 7; James, 6; Justin, 5; Jackson, 3; Johannah, 2; and Jennifer, nine months old.

Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life, and the family is in the process of filming another series for Discovery Health.

Do you have questions about pregnancy? Ask an Expert on Healia Communities or talk to members of the Pregnancy Community. You can also search pregnancy on healia.com for more information.

pregnancy Duggar family 18 children

People who are more susceptible to genetic diseases because of family history are often given the option to have a genetic test, and the accompanying decision can be extremely difficult. Genetic tests are typically conducted using blood or other tissue to find genetic abnormalities. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are about 900 genetic tests available that may be indicated for various reasons:

• Finding genetic abnormalities in the fetus
• Finding out if individuals may carry an abnormal gene that may be passed to their children
• Screening embryos for genetic abnormalities
• Testing for genetic abnormalities before they cause symptoms
• Confirming a diagnosis in a person who has signs and symptoms of disease

There are pros and cons to genetic testing. Test results can have a big impact on a person’s emotions, social relationships, finances, and health choices. A negative test result may cause a feeling of relief and elimination of the need for special preventive checkups, tests, or surgeries. A positive test result can bring relief from uncertainty and allow people to make informed decisions about their future.

There is much concern about genetic discrimination. Examples of genetic discrimination include insurance companies and employers treating people differently because they have a gene alteration that increases their risk of a disease. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 provides some protection for people who have employer-based health insurance.

The Act prohibits group health plans from using genetic information as a basis for denying coverage if a person does not currently have a disease. However, the Act does not prohibit employers from refusing to offer health coverage as part of their benefits, or prevent insurance companies from requesting genetic information (National Cancer Institute: Genetic Testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2: It's Your Choice).

Genetic testing requires a blood, hair, skin, or other tissue sample depending on what type of abnormality your physician is looking for. The sample is then sent to a specialized lab for analysis. It is important to discuss your situation with family, friends, genetic counselor, and physician before making a final decision. To search for more information regarding genetic testing, visit healia.com.

genetic test genetic disease genes