Scientists in France on Wednesday said they had figured out how a germ that causes potentially lethal food poisoning can be transmitted from a mother to a fetus.

Spending time in a public whirlpool can be relaxing, but pregnant women should avoid them as germs in the water can be quite dangerous for both the expectant mother and her unborn baby.

A 59-year-old woman has given birth to triplets at a Paris hospital after seeking fertility treatment in Vietnam, a hospital spokeswoman said on Monday.

Microbes in the wrong place at the wrong time — a woman’s amniotic fluid during pregnancy — might play a role in causing premature births, according to a study published in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Undiagnosed infections may be causing a significant number of premature births, researchers reported on Monday after finding bacteria or fungi in 15 percent of the amniotic fluid samples taken from women in pre-term labor.

Shuang Ho Hospital, an affiliate of the Taipei Medical University in Taipei County, announced Monday that it has introduced the labor-delivery recovery (LDR) room concept widely adopted in Western countries, with the aim of providing women with a friendly and more soothing delivery environment.

The hormone supplement DHEA is touted as an anti-aging panacea, but a new study suggests that it does nothing for healthy older adults’ brain power or general well-being.

Pregnant women subjected to traumatizing stress are more likely to give birth to children who develop schizophrenia, according to a study published Thursday.

A 55-year-old Indian woman has given birth to quadruplets in the northern Italian city of Mantua, a local newspaper there reported Thursday.

An Egyptian woman successfully gave birth to septuplets early Saturday in the coastal city of Alexandria, a hospital director said.