http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7867664.stm

Many pregnant women who smoke do not approach doctors for help to quit because they think they will be "judged", a poll for the NHS suggests. Of 224 pregnant smokers questioned, 25% said they had not sought help because of worries about being criticised. Some 40% said they had not
admitted their habit to midwives or doctors.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4374105/Common-chemicals-found-in-non-stick-frying-pans-can-harm-fertility.html

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are used to make products like Teflon, as well as waterproof clothing, pesticides and upholstery. Studies have also shown that they have leached in small quantities into the water supply, in part because they are contained in foam used by firefighters. A new study found that exposure to high levels of the chemicals, which can remain in the environment and the body for decades, could leave women struggling to get pregnant. Women with high levels of PFCs in their blood were up to one and a half times more likely to have taken more than a year to conceive or required fertility treatment than those with low levels.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7837517.stm

Edinburgh University researchers have developed a method of testing the sperm quality before it is used for IVF. They have said the technique could help childless couples in the next five to 10 years.
The new test measures the DNA quality of sperm, but unlike existing tests, it does not kill the sperm, so it can still be used for IVF treatment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4238958/Drinking-while-pregnant-can-make-children-more-attracted-to-alcohol.html

Researchers found that teenagers found the smell of alcohol more appealing if their mothers had drunk while they were in the womb. This attraction could increase their chances of suffering a drink problem in later life, researchers believe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/12/autism-screening-health

New research published today will bring prenatal testing for autism significantly closer, prompting experts to call for a national debate about the consequences of screening for the disorder in the womb and allowing women to terminate babies with the condition. The breakthrough study by Cambridge University's autism research centre has followed 235 children from birth to the age of eight. It found that high levels of testosterone in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women was linked to autistic traits, such as a lack of sociability and verbal skills, in their children by the time they are eight. It raises the possibility of an amniocentesis (the same procedure used to test for Down's syndrome) to detect autism.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/health/New-baby-hope-for-millions.4863869.jp

... The first human trials of the drug – which has already proved effective in laboratory studies – are about to start and scientists said there was "huge excitement" over the development. The Edinburgh-based team has been given a £500,000 grant to trial the drug, which should help patients to produce the correct balance of hormones necessary for normal fertility. The treatment, if successful, will avoid the current need for surgery or drugs that cause potentially
serious side-effects.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5481862.ece

The first baby in Britain to be screened for a deadly breast cancer gene while still an embryo has been born safely in London. Her parents, who wish to remain anonymous, opted for screening because three generations of women in the father's family had suffered the disease. Had the baby been born with the BRCA1 gene she would have had an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer as a direct result and a 60 per cent chance of ovarian cancer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7797342.stm

Making the contraceptive pill available without a prescription would not cut the UK's high pregnancy rate among teenagers, a leading GP has argued. Sarah Jarvis, women's health spokeswoman for the Royal College of GPs, says women forgetting to take the pill is the problem, not availability. Young women should be encouraged to use long-acting contraception, such as implants or the coil, Dr Jarvis says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7790561.stm

Overweight and obese women have as much chance of having a baby through fertility treatment as normal weight women, a Scottish study suggests. IVF treatment is no more expensive for most obese women, the report in the journal Human Reproduction added. But women should be advised to lose weight because of the high risk of complications, the researchers said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7776210.stm

A man's genetic make-up may play a role in whether he has sons or daughters, a study of hundreds of years of family trees suggests. Newcastle University researchers found men were more likely to have sons if they had more brothers and vice versa if they had more sisters.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7777373.stm

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding do not have to avoid peanuts, even if there is a family history of allergy, food safety experts have said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7773894.stm

A pilot scheme allowing pharmacists to give women the contraceptive pill without a prescription has been given the go-ahead for next year. Women and girls aged over 16 will be able to get the pill at two London primary care trusts, Southwark and Lewisham, Pulse magazine says. If the pilots are successful, the pill could become available over the counter like the morning after pill.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7767877.stm

Men of higher intelligence tend to produce better quality sperm, UK research suggests. A team from the Institute of Psychiatry analysed data from former US soldiers who served during the Vietnam war era. They found that those who performed better on intelligence tests tended to have more - and more mobile - sperm.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/health/newsid_7753000/7753258.stm

Women are going to be offered the morning-after pill in advance during the run up to Christmas. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) will prescribe the emergency contraception for free in England and Wales.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7749883.stm

An experiment in mice has raised hopes of halting some of the effects of Down's syndrome before birth, New Scientist magazine reports. Down's starves developing nerve cells of two key proteins, leading to problems with mental development. But when US researchers injected the proteins into mice pregnant with "Down's" pups, the offspring seemed free of these problems. However, experts warned success in mice was no guarantee of the same in humans.