An international study has suggested a possible link between conception from September to December and health complications in new mothers and infants.
The study, led by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics collaborative program, looked at the effects of the term of pregnancy on the risk of disease in mothers and newborns.
Taipei Medical University assistant professor Usman Iqbal participated in the study along with other doctors from Taiwan, the US and South Korea.
The group found a correlation between babies conceived between September and December (born between July and October), and the risk of depression, high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation in newborns, as well as high blood pressure in mothers.
Other possible illnesses included gestational diabetes in mothers, and type-2 diabetes in children, the study showed, which linked the increased risk of the diseases to there being fewer daylight hours in the last three months of pregnancy, and thus reduced vitamin D intake.
The findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Data for the study came from more than 10 million mothers in Taiwan, the US and South Korea, aged 35 to 53, Usman said, adding that the data from Taiwan specifically spanned a 13-year period.
The study also found a correlation between the onset of the diseases and other aspects of the environment, besides sunlight, in which the mother spent her pregnancy, he said.
Taiwanese mothers whose pregnancy ended in October or November were affected by higher concentrations of carbon monoxide in the air, which increased the risk of depression in their children, he said.
Those whose pregnancies ended in September to December would also be exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 pollution at the time of childbirth, which could increase the risk of high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, Usman said.
The study also showed a correlation between the mother’s living environment during pregnancy and the development of the child, he said, citing a correlation between development of the child’s heart and pregnancy during the flu season.
Lai Hung-cheng (賴鴻政), a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Tri-Service General Hospital, said that such studies did not represent cause and effect, and advised mothers not to base their family planning on the findings.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of