"Women aged 40 or over are less likely to have babies with birth defects if they conceive by IVF," the Daily Mail reports, while The Daily Telegraph says: "Older mothers have healthier babies if they conceive using IVF". Both headlines misinterpret the results of a study that looked at births in South Australia between 14 and
"Women aged 40 or over are less likely to have babies with birth defects if they conceive by IVF," the Daily Mail reports, while The Daily Telegraph says: "Older mothers have healthier babies if they conceive using IVF". Both headlines misinterpret the results of a study that looked at births in South Australia between 14 and
"Is your child a fussy eater? It could be down to genetics not parenting," the Daily Mirror reports. A study involving twins suggests food fussiness as well as food neophobia – unwillingness to try new foods – may partially be the result of genetics. The researchers looked at differences in parent-reported behaviour between identical twins
"Antidepressants could double the risk of feelings that could lead to suicide, according to a new study which has triggered furious rows," The Daily Telegraph reports. Critics have attacked the study as "fatally flawed" because researchers extrapolated certain side effects, such as anxiety, as being a risk factor for suicide. Researchers carried out an analysis of
"Have you ever felt dizzy when you stand up?" asks the Mail Online. "You could be more at risk of dementia," the website warns. Researchers in Holland found a weak link between blood pressure drops on standing and the chances of getting dementia. But whether or not people felt dizzy made no difference to the
"Receptionists may ‘put people off’ seeing their GP by asking questions about symptoms," ITV News reports on a widely covered study carried out by Cancer Research UK. The study is part of an ongoing project looking at reasons why some people don’t seek advice for potential "early warning signs" for certain cancers, such as: a
"Doctors correctly diagnose illness ‘twice as often as online symptom checkers’," The Sun reports. A US study ran a head-to-head comparison between doctors and a symptom checker platform called Human Dx using what are known as clinical vignettes. Clinical vignettes have been used for many years to help hone trainee doctors’ diagnostic skills. They are
"Sunbathing mothers guard against hyperactive babies," The Daily Telegraph reports – a headline that achieves the dubious dual distinction of being both inaccurate and irresponsible. The study the news is based on never looked at sunbathing, which can actually be harmful during pregnancy. Danish researchers took umbilical cord blood samples from babies soon after birth,
"Working night shifts has ‘little or no effect’ on a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, new research suggests," BBC News reports. This was the finding of a new study looking at data from 10 different countries. The review pooled the evidence of three large UK-based studies, each of which found no significant link between
"Cervical cancer: gap between screenings ‘can be increased to 10 years’," The Guardian reports. A Dutch study suggests women who test negative for the human papilloma virus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, can be safely screened once every 10 years. Countries including the UK are currently in the process of implementing HPV testing
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