The birth rate fell to 13.9 per 1,000 persons in 2002, down from 14.1 per 1,000 in 2001 and down a full 17 percent from the recent peak in 1990 (16.7 per 1,000), according to a new CDC report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2002." CDC analysts say ... Continue Reading

A hormone produced during pregnancy may relieve the debilitating symptoms of heart failure, scientists have found. The hormone, relaxin, loosens tendons and widens blood vessels in pregnant women as well as boosting their heart function to help their bodies cope with the extra weight and blood required for the baby. But ... Continue Reading

Approximately 70 per cent of patients who receive radiation therapy for pain-and-symptom management achieve pain relief. This relief may occur immediately or up to a few weeks after radiation treatment. The most common type of radiation therapy, called External Beam Radiation Therapy, is a high-energy X-ray beam that is used to ... Continue Reading