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Breakthrough helps detect malnourished babies

Posted November 29, 2008 13:00:00

Pregnant women may soon be able to identify if their baby is at risk of being born malnourished under a medical breakthrough that has been announced by the New South Wales Health Minister.

John Della Bosca says researchers at Sydney's Royal North Shore hospital have discovered a protein in the blood of expectant mothers which identifies whether their babies are at risk.

He says if the problem is identified in early pregnancy, medical help can be given to mothers to assist with the baby's growth.

Until now, growth problems have been detected relatively late in pregnancy through clinical examination and ultra-sound.

Tags: medical-research, reproduction-and-contraception, pregnancy-and-childbirth, nsw, sydney-2000