Pregnancy and Childbirth News

April 19, 2024

Top Headlines

No Link Between Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability, Says Large Sibling Study

Apr. 9, 2024 — In the largest study to date on the subject, researchers found no evidence to support a causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and increased risk of autism, ADHD and intellectual ...

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Death After Giving Birth

Apr. 11, 2024 — Health researchers identify patients at risk for preventable death in the year after ...

Pregnancy Accelerates Biological Aging in a Healthy, Young Adult Population

Apr. 8, 2024 — Pregnancy may carry a cost, reports a new study. The research shows that women who reported having been pregnant looked biologically older than women who had never been pregnant, and women who had been pregnant more often looked biologically older ...

Even Moderate Alcohol Usage During Pregnancy Linked to Birth Abnormalities

Apr. 2, 2024 — Researchers have found that even low to moderate alcohol use by pregnant patients may contribute to subtle changes in their babies' prenatal development, including lower birth length and a shorter duration of ...

Latest Headlines

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Researchers Find That Accelerated Aging Biology in the Placenta Contributes to a Rare Form of Pregnancy-Related Heart Failure

Apr. 17, 2024 — In a new study, researchers show that elevated levels of proteins related to cellular senescence, or aging, in the blood and the placenta are linked ...

Global Research Team Finds No Clear Link Between Maternal Diabetes During Pregnancy and ADHD in Children

Apr. 10, 2024 — An international research team has just provided valuable evidence through a 20-year longitudinal study to address the longstanding debate concerning ...

Women With Obesity Do Not Need to Gain Weight During Pregnancy, New Study Suggests

Mar. 28, 2024 — The guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy in obese women have long been questioned. New research supports the idea of lowering or removing the ...

Miscarriages Linked to Health Risks in Later Pregnancies

Mar. 28, 2024 — Researchers analyzed 52 studies involving more than 4 million pregnancies across 22 countries to investigate the health impacts of miscarriage, abortion and recurrent pregnancy loss (more than two ...

Positive Associations Between Premenstrual Disorders and Perinatal Depression

Mar. 28, 2024 — Women affected by premenstrual disorders have a higher risk of perinatal depression compared with those who do not, according to new research. The ...

Stem Cell Model Offers First Glimpse of Early Human Embryonic Development

Mar. 23, 2024 — The new platform's ethically grounded approach promises to reveal much about how human embryos form during the earliest stages of ...

Study Eases Concern at Antipsychotics Use in Pregnancy

Mar. 18, 2024 — The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy isn't linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties, study suggests -- giving assurance to those concerned about continuing ...

Why Some Newborns Develop Severe Infections

Mar. 15, 2024 — A serious immune deficiency in newborns may originate from a system that protects the fetus in utero but lingers too long after ...

New Discovery Reveals How the Egg Controls Sperm Entry

Mar. 14, 2024 — After the egg has been fertilized by a sperm, the surrounding egg coat tightens, mechanically preventing the entry of additional sperm and the ensuing death of the embryo, a new study finds. The work ...

Good News: The US Maternal Death Rate Is Stable, Not Sky Rocketing, as Reported

Mar. 13, 2024 — A new study challenges the prevailing view on the maternal death rate in the United States. The findings show that the rates of maternal death were ...

Metformin During Pregnancy Affects the Brain Development in Offspring Mice, Study Finds

Mar. 20, 2024 — With the rise in gestational diabetes and metabolic disorders during pregnancy, metformin is also being prescribed more frequently. Although it is known that the oral antidiabetic agent can cross the ...

Laws That Punish Drug Use During Pregnancy Likely Lead to Worse Health Outcomes for Families, Study Finds

Mar. 18, 2024 — Contrary to some claims, laws that criminalize or otherwise punish drug use during pregnancy are more likely to worsen rather than improve health outcomes. The study is the first to systematically ...

Having Complicated Pregnancies Increase the Risk of Dying of Cardiovascular Diseases, Study Finds

Mar. 13, 2024 — Researchers have investigated the relation between 40-year-old women's pregnancy history and later risk of dying of cardiovascular diseases. Within each level of total number of pregnancies ...

Adding Folic Acid to Table Salt Could Prevent Life-Threatening Birth Defects

Mar. 11, 2024 — A team of international researchers has demonstrated, for the first time in a field study, that using folic acid-fortified iodized table salt can prevent multiple severe birth ...

Research Sheds Light on New Strategy to Treat Infertility

Mar. 8, 2024 — New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by ...

COVID Vaccines Are Safe for Pregnant Women and Babies, Study Finds

Mar. 7, 2024 — The COVID vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, researchers report in an important finding on the safety of the vaccine in infants -- despite widespread fear and ...

How Does a Virus Hijack Insect Sperm to Control Disease Vectors and Pests?

Mar. 7, 2024 — A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the ...

Psychosocial Stressors Linked to Higher Inflammation in Black Pregnant Women

Mar. 6, 2024 — Living in neighborhoods with more white residents and greater lifetime experiences of racial discrimination are linked to increased systemic inflammation during pregnancy among Black women, according ...

Toward Understanding Sperm Quality

Mar. 5, 2024 — A novel screening system enables researchers to investigate sperm cell development and health at the molecular level. The new approach promises breakthroughs in male contraception and infertility ...

Zika Vaccine Safe, Effective When Administered During Pregnancy

Mar. 4, 2024 — A vaccine against Zika virus is safe and effective when administered both before and during pregnancy, according to new ...

Study Results Show 25% of Pregnant People Are Not Getting Enough Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Their Diet or Dietary Supplements

Mar. 1, 2024 — Results from a new US nationwide cohort study show that, despite strong recommendations in favor of consuming omega-3 fatty acids for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health, 25% of ...

A Landmark Study Maps the Precise Orchestration of Prenatal Development

Feb. 29, 2024 — Researchers have characterized, in exacting detail, the rapid series of events that transform a single fertilized cell into a living, complex being. The work not only has enabled the team to explore ...

Uptick in Behavioral Disorders Reported in Children Following Prenatal Exposure to Anesthesia

Feb. 29, 2024 — Children prenatally exposed to anesthesia for maternal surgery during pregnancy were significantly more likely than unexposed children to receive a diagnosis of a disruptive or internalizing ...

New Study Links Placental Oxygen Levels to Fetal Brain Development

Feb. 27, 2024 — A new study shows oxygenation levels in the placenta, formed during the last three months of fetal development, are an important predictor of cortical growth (development of the outermost layer of ...

Intervention Reduces Likelihood of Developing Postpartum Anxiety and Depression by More Than 70%

Feb. 26, 2024 — Results from a large clinical trial show that an intervention for anxiety provided to pregnant women living in Pakistan significantly reduced the likelihood of the women developing moderate-to-severe ...

Study of 1.2+M Births Reveals Associations Between Excess Heat Exposure and Preterm Births

Feb. 26, 2024 — In the face of increasing temperatures globally, a new study of 1.2 million births over two decades has shown a strong association between the risk of pre-term birth and exposure to extreme hot ...

Maternal Mental Conditions Drive Climbing Death Rate in U.S., Evidence Review Finds

Feb. 21, 2024 — Researchers culled years of data demonstrating that maternal mental illness is an under-recognized contributor to the death of new mothers. They are calling for urgent action to address this public ...

Oocytes Outsmart Toxic Proteins to Preserve Long-Term Female Fertility

Feb. 20, 2024 — The accumulation of misfolded or damaged proteins in long-lived, non-dividing cells like neurons are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. A study now finds that the build-up of ...

Scientists Discover New Target for Reversible, Non-Hormonal Male Birth Control

Feb. 20, 2024 — Scientists discovered a new target for reversible, non-hormonal male birth control. The drug, an HDAC inhibitor, blocked sperm production and fertility in male mice without affecting libido or future ...

Stress During Pregnancy Can Lead to Early Maturation of First-Born Daughters

Feb. 20, 2024 — Researchers have found a correlation between early signs of adrenal puberty in first-born daughters and their mothers' having experienced high levels of prenatal stress. They did not find the ...