Pregnancy and Childbirth News

December 27, 2024

Top Headlines

Dec. 18, 2024 — Many women are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at an age when they are considering starting a family. What does the disease and its medication mean for the child? To answer this question, a research team analyzed over 3,700 pregnancies of ...

Most Women Get Low Grades in Healthy Eating During and After Pregnancy

Dec. 19, 2024 — New research finds a pervasive low-quality diet among pregnant and postpartum individuals, reflecting 'an urgent need for widespread ...

Breakthrough Study Reveals How Assisted Reproduction Affects Placenta and Child's Growth

Dec. 19, 2024 — Researchers have studied placental genes to explore how Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) affects a child's development. Differences showed up between pregnancies from frozen and fresh embryo ...

Delivery Timing in Mothers With Chronic Hypertension

Dec. 19, 2024 — Physician researchers found 39 weeks of gestation is optimal for delivery in mothers with chronic ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:22pm EST

Model Advances Rational Design of More Effective Maternal Vaccines for Newborns

Dec. 12, 2024 — Research on vaccines may help save more ...

AI Tool Analyzes Placentas at Birth for Faster Detection of Neonatal, Maternal Problems

Dec. 13, 2024 — A newly developed tool that harnesses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) may help clinicians from around the globe rapidly evaluate ...

A Lipid Nanoparticle Delivers mRNA Cure for Pre-Eclampsia in Mice

Dec. 11, 2024 — Engineers have developed a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that delivers mRNA therapeutic to the placenta to treat pre-eclampsia in mice with human trials on the ...

The Genetic Basis of Fertility, Family and Longevity

Dec. 13, 2024 — A new review reveals how your DNA shapes reproductive health, fertility, and even life ...

Antidepressants May Act in Gut to Reduce Depression and Anxiety

Dec. 11, 2024 — In animal studies, boosting serotonin in the cells that line the gut reduced anxious and depressive-like behaviors without causing cognitive or gastrointestinal side ...

Fetal Defense: Study Reveals Early Immune Protection in the Womb

Dec. 9, 2024 — Research revealed that foetuses are not as defenceless as once thought; they can actually fight infections from within the womb. This new understanding could significantly change the way doctors ...

The Maternal Microbiome During Pregnancy Impacts Offspring's Stem Cells in Mice

Dec. 11, 2024 — Gut microbiome composition during pregnancy has long-term effects on offspring stem cell growth and development, researchers report. Treating ...

Gene Therapy Fixes Major Cause of Stillbirth, Premature Birth in Guinea Pig Model

Dec. 5, 2024 — Nanoparticle-mediated gene therapy corrects a problem with the placenta that leads to pregnancy ...

Flood Disasters Associated With Preterm Births and Low Birth Weights

Dec. 10, 2024 — A new analysis of more than 3,000 studies from around the world reveals that globally, flooding increases preterm births by about 3%. Children who were in utero during a flood event are also more ...

Increased Area Income Improves Birthweight Rates, Researchers Find

Dec. 10, 2024 — Higher incomes are often correlated with healthier pregnancies and babies, but is it really the money that matters? Sedimentary rocks that formed 390 million years ago, surprisingly, help provide the ...

A Tropical Disease in Switzerland: Call for Coordinated Action on Chagas Disease

Dec. 20, 2024 — Researchers conducted a comprehensive review of Chagas disease in Switzerland. Although typically found in Latin America, Chagas disease affects between 2,000 and 4,000 people in Switzerland. The ...

Nr1h2: A Key Transcription Factor Unlocks New Potential in Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models

Dec. 6, 2024 — Researchers have identified Nr1h2, a critical transcription factor essential for early embryo development. Their findings enhance our understanding of gene regulation during blastoid formation and ...

Mothers Massively Change Their Intestines During Pregnancy and Nursing

Dec. 5, 2024 — When women are pregnant and nurse their babies, their bodies change and various organs, such as the breasts or the immune system, are adapted to ensure the health of both mother and child. This ...

Potential Epigenetic Biomarker Found for Preeclampsia in Pregnancy

Dec. 5, 2024 — Analysis of cheek swabs taken from pregnant women revealed a potential epigenetic biomarker for preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that often leads to preterm births. While a ...

Pregnancy Enhances Natural Immunity to Block Severe Flu

Dec. 2, 2024 — Scientists have discovered that pregnancy may trigger a natural immunity to boost protection against severe flu infection. Contrary to the common belief that pregnancy increases vulnerability to ...

Fine Particulate Air Pollution May Play a Role in Adverse Birth Outcomes

Nov. 29, 2024 — For pregnant women, exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) was associated with altered immune responses that can lead to adverse birth outcomes, according to a new study. The study is ...

Newer Epilepsy Medications Used During Pregnancy Do Not Affect Neurological Development in Children

Nov. 27, 2024 — Children of mothers who took certain anti-seizure medications while pregnant do not have worse neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 6, according to a long-running ...

Worried About a Pregnant Woman's Stress and Mental Health? Her Saliva May Hold the Key

Nov. 26, 2024 — New research has found that the number and type of microbes present in the saliva of pregnant women differ according to whether they are experiencing life stress and symptoms of anxiety, depression ...

Women Who Suffer Pregnancy Complications Have Fewer Children

Nov. 25, 2024 — Women who suffer severe complications during their first pregnancy or delivery are less inclined to have more babies, a study reports. Given the recent steady decline in birth rate in Sweden, the ...

Troubling Spike in Severe Pregnancy-Related Complications

Nov. 22, 2024 — A new study reveals a troubling rise in severe maternal health issues and birth complications in Illinois from 2016 to 2023, closely linked to increases in chronic health conditions affecting ...

Caste Differentiation in Ants

Nov. 22, 2024 — Scientists have revealed how a specific hormone regulates ant caste differentiation by phenotypic measurements of organ-level developmental changes and matching transcriptome ...

Less Than 50% of Many Prenatal Supplements Have the Adequate Amount of Choline and Iodine

Nov. 21, 2024 — New research reveals many prenatal vitamins don't contain enough of the nutrients that are essential for a healthy pregnancy, while others contain harmful levels of toxic metals. The study ...

Signals of Inflammation During Pregnancy Linked to Aging and Memory Changes 50 Years Later

Nov. 21, 2024 — A new study analyzed data from participants who have been followed for over 50 years, starting before their births. Researchers found that maternal immune activity during a critical period of ...

Surprising Patterns in Infant Growth After Gestational Diabetes Exposure

Nov. 19, 2024 — A new study reveals surprising findings about how babies exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) grow during their first year of ...

Pregnant People Might Not Be Getting the Nutrients They Need

Nov. 19, 2024 — New research reveals startling shortfalls in dietary nutrition during ...

High Exposure to Everyday Chemicals During Pregnancy Linked to Asthma Risk in Children

Nov. 19, 2024 — A new study sheds light on a potential link between exposure to certain everyday chemicals during pregnancy and the development of asthma in children. The study analyzed data from over 3,500 ...

Promising Daily Tablet Increases Growth in Children With Dwarfism

Nov. 18, 2024 — A promising daily tablet is effective at increasing height and improving proportional limb growth in children with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, according to a new study. And the ...

Children Exposed to Antiseizure Meds During Pregnancy Face Neurodevelopmental Risks, Study Finds

Nov. 15, 2024 — Children born to mothers who take antiseizure medications to manage seizures and psychiatric conditions during pregnancy may face increased risks of neurodevelopmental conditions, according to new ...

Exposure to Marijuana in the Womb May Increase Risk of Addiction to Opioids Later in Life, Study Finds

Nov. 14, 2024 — Evidence has been growing to suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, poses risks to the developing fetus by impacting brain development. Now a new ...

Frequent Emergency Care During Pregnancy Could Signal Greater Risk for Severe Maternal Morbidity

Nov. 14, 2024 — A new study found that, among nearly 775,000 pregnant people in Massachusetts, 31 percent of these individuals had at least one unscheduled emergency visit to the hospital, and 3.3 percent had four ...