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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There is a long-standing myth that wearing a seatbelt is not safe for pregnant women. A new study finds its not only safe, but proper seatbelt use by pregnant women would save 200 fetuses a year.
Its very clear, based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single time theyre in a vehicle, says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D., vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Health System. For the study, researchers looked at data from 57 severe automobile crashes involving pregnant women and did detailed crash analysis. They found that out of six improperly restrained women, three resulted in death or major fetal complications and among 10 unbelted women, eight of the instances resulted in death or major complications. Each year an estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes in the United States.
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Researchers say the proper use of seatbelts will prevent 84 percent of serious fetal outcomes due to car crashes. They also point out there are more fetal deaths due to car impacts than there are deaths of children due to bicycle accidents, or deaths of children due to car accidents in the first year of life.
Study authors say doctors can help educate women. They found if a prenatal care provider talked about seatbelt use during a visit, the woman was more likely to wear a seatbelt.
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SOURCE: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2008;198
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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