Cases of measles rose by 36% in 2008 – most were in children not vaccinated by the MMR – the highest number since monitoring began in 1995 read more »

Nearly half of hospital trusts responding to a survey said they had to close at least once last year because they were full, diverting women to other hospitals. 553 units closed in 2008, up from 402 in 2007. Full story is available at BBC health news

A Scottish audit of 17,000 births has found that in more than a quarter of cases, there was no medical or other explanation for induction. More studies are needed to estabish whether inductions are being carried out without a good reason. read more »

An American study of 100 women has found that testing a hormone level at 25 weeks helped predict three quarters of those who developed the baby blues. read more »