Premature Birth News and Research

RSS

Noisy environment at night linked to infertility in men

Long-term exposure to a noisy environment, particularly at night, is linked to infertility in men, according to a study in Environmental Pollution.

28 Jun 2017

Children born late preterm have greater risk of recurrent hospitalization for respiratory illness

A new study of children up to 2 years of age showed that those born late preterm (34-36 weeks) had a significantly greater risk of recurrent hospitalization due to respiratory illness compared to those who were born full term (>37 weeks).

21 Jun 2017

Long-term stress for the mother can influence growth of unborn child through amniotic fluid

The feeling of constantly being on edge, always having to take care of everything, not being able to find a balance: If an expectant mother is strongly stressed over a longer period of time, the risk of the unborn child developing a mental or physical illness later in life - such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or cardiovascular disease - increases.

30 May 2017

Physical stress to mother during pregnancy can influence growth of unborn child

If the mother is stressed over a longer period of time during pregnancy, the concentration of stress hormones in amniotic fluid rises, as proven by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Zurich. Short-term stress situations, however, do not seem to have an unfavorable effect on the development of the fetus.

29 May 2017

Discovery of steroid hormone in fruit flies may shed new light on maternal hypothyroidism

University of Oregon researchers using Drosophila have identified a steroid hormone that triggers a vital transition in early brain development in which neural stem cells properly change gears to produce different kinds of neurons.

15 May 2017

Pregnant mother’s family history linked to increased risk of preterm birth

If a pregnant mother has a family history of premature birth, she is at risk for a preterm birth of her baby, according to a new study by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center.

27 Apr 2017

Antidepressant use during early pregnancy not linked to risk of autism, ADHD in kids, study shows

A study led by Indiana University suggests that mothers' use of antidepressants during early pregnancy does not increase the risk of their children developing autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conditions previously associated with these medications.

18 Apr 2017

Children born to older mothers are at an advantage, report researchers

Children of older mothers experience fewer behavioral, social and emotional problems, according to a new study.

23 Mar 2017

Study: Common drug used to prevent preterm births provides no benefit but may cause side effects

A drug commonly prescribed to pregnant women with a history of delivering babies early provides no benefit. In fact, this drug may even increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes.

15 Mar 2017

WHO report: 1.7 million children die every year due to unhealthy environments

More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks – such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation and inadequate hygiene – take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new World Health Organization reports.

9 Mar 2017

Maternal overweight and obesity linked to increased risk of child’s cerebral palsy

Being overweight or obese during pregnancy increases the chance of having a child with cerebral palsy, according to new research led by the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

7 Mar 2017

Vaginal progesterone decreases preterm birth, infant mortality in twin gestations with short cervix

Treatment with vaginal progesterone reduced the risk of preterm birth, neonatal complications and death in pregnant women with twins and who have a short cervix— a risk factor for preterm birth— according to a meta-analysis of individual patient data by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the Detroit Medical Center, and other institutions in the United States and abroad.

7 Mar 2017

Researchers explore effects of preeclampsia on risk of developing ROP in premature infants

Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD, and colleagues at the John A. Moran Center and Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, were looking for a way to tease apart the effects of preeclampsia on the risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease found in premature infants. Their results, and the model they developed, were published February 14, 2017, in Scientific Reports.

15 Feb 2017

Maternal stress can affect growth of fetal muscles, study shows

Born too soon, she weighed just over 1 pound at birth and spent the first three months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit, fighting to live.

6 Feb 2017

Premature delivery raises woman's risk for heart disease later in life

Having a premature baby raises a woman's risk for heart attack or stroke later in life, according to a study published February 2 in Circulation at the start of American Heart Month.

3 Feb 2017

Penn researchers shed new light on potential causes of premature birth

Depending on the specific type, bacteria in a woman's vagina and cervix may increase the risk of premature birth or protect against it, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

27 Jan 2017

Immigration fears among Latina mothers linked to lower birth weight babies

With deportation and discrimination fears currently on the minds of many in the United States, a University of Michigan study shows that the stress from an historic immigration raid is associated with Latina mothers delivering babies with lower birth weights, and sometimes early.

24 Jan 2017

Bedfont Scientific's new Smokerlyzer offers quick and non-invasive method to measure foetal CO levels

The piCObaby Smokerlyzer from Bedfont Scientific Ltd.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 24 Jan 2017

Cervicovaginal microbial communities in pregnant woman may be key to preventing preterm birth

A team of researchers that has confirmed the presence of bacteria in a woman's vagina and cervix may either increase the risk of premature birth or have a protective effect against it, has won the March of Dimes Award for Best Abstract on Prematurity at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting. The findings will be presented Thursday, January 26, at 1:15 p.m. PST at Caesars Palace Augustus Ballroom in Las Vegas.