A new statistical analysis of 10,000 households, whose members were asked questions about their happiness over a 15 year period, reveals that for married parents, each child makes them progressively happier. In contrast, those who are single, separated or living together are more likely to have negative feelings about parenthood.

Writing in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Dr. Luis Angeles, an economist at Glasgow University, said "raising kids makes married people happier" and that "the more they have, the happier they are."

Health insurance coverage denials know no age limit. Alex Lange, a four month old baby from Colorado, was recently denied insurance after he was deemed to be too fat for his age.

At 25-inches long and 17lbs., Alex is above average. Alex's father Bernie Lange and his wife Kelli say that their insurance went up 40% when he was born. So when they went to shop for better premiums, they were shocked to learn that the size of their baby matter.

An insurance underwriter for Rocky Mountain Health Plans simply wrote, "Your baby is too fat."

Alex born at a healthy 8 1/4 pounds. He boasts quite a healthy appetite, which is why he has been packing on the pounds. For a baby of his age at his weight and height, he ranks in the 99th percentile.

Bernie, a part-time news anchor for KKCO-TV in Grand Junction, CO said:

"We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill."

Kelli added: "He's healthy in our eyes. It's like we're being punished."

Dr. Douglas Speedie, director of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, explained:

"We do it because everybody else in the industry does it."

The school year is fast approaching and that means a whole new schedule for your youngsters. The Cleveland Clinic has just uploaded a video with tips on how to prepare your children to get into a sleep routine. The video states:

They are the three words kids hate most these days: back to school. Health experts say now is the time parents should get their kids back into a "school night" routine.

Here is what the experts say to prepare your child for school:

In China, raising children is about to take on a whole new dimension thanks to genetic testing. 30 children ages 3 to 12 and their parents are participating in a new program that utiizes DNA testing to identify genetic gifts and predict the future.

Conducted by the Shanghai Biochip Corp., the test is a simple saliva swab that collects as many as 10,000 cells that enable scientists to isolate eleven different genes. By looking closely at the genetic codes, scientists claim that they can extract information about a child's athletic ability, IQ, focus, memory, emotional control, and more.

At a cost of just $880, Chinese parents can sign their children up for the test and five days of summer camp in Chongqing. Here, the children are evaluated in various settings, including art, music and sports, amongst others. By combining the scientific results from the genetic testing with observations by experts throughout the week of camp, they will then make recommendations to parents about what their child should pursue. They also believe that it could help predict possible career paths.

While current statistics indicate that nearly one in nine women will get breast cancer at some point in their lives, a child getting breast cancer is virtually unheard of. However, in La Mirada, California, a 10-year-old girl is battling the disease and may be the youngest to have ever developed breast cancer.

Just last month, Hannah Powell-Auslam learned of her diagnosis. She told reporters that when she learned of her diagnosis, she wondered:

"'How could this happen? I'm ten.' I was really shocked."

Hannah discovered a lump, and doctors then did an ultrasound and discovered a tumor that spanned nearly two inches. She was diagnosed with secretory carcinoma, a slow-growing cancer.

At the age of ten, Hannah has a mastectomy. But now her doctor says that the cancer has spread to a lymph node, which will require more surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation, however, is out of the question because her breasts are still developing.

So far, Hannah has remained upbeat throughout the entire ordeal. She vows:

"I'm going to set an example. If there's something wrong with your body, you tell your parents."

Lawmakers in the Dominican Republic have voted to approve an amendment to their Constitution which would outlaw abortion. President Leonel Fernández initially proposed the measure, which has now passed 167 to 32.

Dominican Today reports:

"Despite the constant objections by feminist organizations, institutions and personalities who favor legalizing abortion in cases of incest, rape or when the pregnancy endangers a woman’s life, the Revisory Assembly Tuesday approved Executive Branch’s proposal 21, which states: “'The right to the life is inviolable from conception until death. The death penalty cannot be established, pronounced, nor applied, in any case'”

In addition to abolishing abortion, this law further reiterates the country's stance on the death penalty, which has been banned since 1924. The maximum penalty for a crime in the Dominican is 30 years in prison.

One scientist says 'Yes'.

Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist, says that social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are said to shorten attention spans, make young people more self-centered, and encourage instant gratification.

Facebook claims more than 150 million users, while Twitter has around 6 million. While these sites are considered extremely popular, as well as profitable, a number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe that they may be doing more harm than good.

Greenfield believes that repeated exposure could effectively "rewire" the brain. Other factors include computer games and fast-paced television shows.

"We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist. My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment," said Greenfield.

A team of surgeons, pediatricians, and nurses at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC successfully separated conjoined twins during a long 24-hour procedure. The 2-year-old twins - Dagian and Danielle Lee of Cleveland, OH - were separated during a procedure which began at 6:30am Saturday Dec. 13, 2008, and ended 24 hours later.

The girls, who were joined from the breast bone to the groin - are said to be recovering well at the Children's Hospital.

Leading the team that separated the girls was Joseph E. Losee, MD, FACS, FAAP, who is also the chief of the Division of Pediatric Plastic Surgery. He led the more than 50 individuals involved in either preoperative care or the surgery itself.

The multidisciplinary surgical team included specialists from Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Pediatric Anesthesiology, and General and Thoracic Surgery. Specialists from Critical Care Medicine, Nursing, and Cardiology have also been involved in the twins' pre and post operative care.

The girls were conjoined from the breast bone to the groin, and shared a colon. Their livers were also connected, and they shared a third leg.

According to a recent study, children who eat bacon more than once per week are at a dramatically higher risk of developing leukemia. Scientists found that children who have been struck down by the disease consumed greater amounts of processed meats, including bacon, hot dogs, and ham.

The research also shows that regularly consuming cured meats, such as bacon, can raise a youngster's leukemia risk by 74 percent, compared to those who rarely or never eat them. Scientists are now concerned that preservative chemicals known as nitrites may be to blame by triggering a chain reaction that promotes the growth of cancer.

Results of the study, which was conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, suggests diet is a major factor in the development of the disease. Researchers studied 145 children and teens in southern Taiwan who had acute leukemia, and compared them with other children who did not have leukemia.

According to a federal report released Wednesday, teen pregnancy is on the rise in more than half of the states in the U.S. The analysis also found that Mississippi has also displaced Texas as the state with the highest teen pregnancy rate.

This latest report shows significant increases in the teen birthrate for 2006 in 26 states. 2006 is the most recent year for which data is available.

Mississippi's teen birthrate in 2006 was 60% higher than the national average. Texas and New Mexico trailed closely behind with 50% higher rates of pregnancy.

Some experts are blaming the higher teen pregnancy rates on increased federal funding for abstinence-only education. The results revealed today mark the first signficant spike in teen pregnancy rates in over 15 years.