Pregnant women should avoid additives called phthalates found in common household products, according to US researchers, who found evidence that the substances may reduce children’s IQ. Children whose mothers had the highest levels of phthalates had IQs on average seven points below those whose

“I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with you.” The psychiatrist’s words pierced like a bullet. Months of suppressed grief became fat, heaving sobs and one defeated plea, “why are you doing this to me?”, before I ran out and collapsed at my husband’s feet. We’d been cut loose, left alone to

“New mums bribed to breastfeed” ran headlines last week, as the Lancet reported that a pilot scheme offering women shopping vouchers worth up to £200 if they breastfed their babies will now be extended to more than 4,000 women. The ensuing debate worried away at the ethics of financially

A campaign, Choosing Wisely, to help doctors to cause less harm is gaining momentum across the world. It began in the US two years ago, with the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) helping specialists to compile lists of unnecessary or harmful medical interventions in their field. In the UK,

Every mother hopes for, yet in equal measure dreads, the day her eldest child leaves home to start university. As Kym-Marie Cleasby hugged 20-year-old Bethany goodbye on the doorstep of her new student digs in Southampton, she desperately tried to mask her tears with a smile. These exciting new