Womb News and Research

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The womb is the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a baby grows. Also called uterus.

Children exposed to HIV in womb are no more likely to show language delays

Children who were exposed to HIV in the womb whose mothers received anti-HIV medications during pregnancy were no more likely to show language delays by age two than HIV-exposed children whose mothers were not treated during pregnancy, according to a study by University of Kansas Distinguished Professor Mabel L. Rice with researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other universities.

16 Aug 2013

Study: Children born to obese mothers are more likely to die early as adults

Children born to obese mothers are more likely to die early as adults than those whose mothers were a normal weight, a study has found.

16 Aug 2013

Study provides clues to improve treatment of neuroblastoma with suppressor gene

Loss of a gene required for stem cells in the brain to turn into neurons may underlie the most severe forms of neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood cancer of the nervous system, according to a Ludwig Cancer Research study.

13 Aug 2013

Stillbirth research: an interview with Dr Lucy Higgins, University of Manchester

Stillbirth, the birth of a baby who shows no sign of life after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy, occurs in 1 in every 200 pregnancies in the United Kingdom. That’s roughly 10 bereaved families a day.

From The University of Manchester 12 Aug 2013

Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles may help couples conceive through IVF

Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles in men with no sperm in their semen is as effective as fresh sperm taken by biopsy in helping couples conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

7 Aug 2013

Study: Ultrasound waves applied to specific areas of brain appear to alter patients' moods

University of Arizona researchers have found in a recent study that ultrasound waves applied to specific areas of the brain appear able to alter patients' moods. The discovery has led the scientists to conduct further investigations with the hope that this technique could one day be used to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety.

19 Jul 2013

Children exposed to AEDs in womb at risk of early development issues: Study

Children whose mothers took antiepileptic drugs while pregnant are at increased risk of early development issues, according to a new study published in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy.

18 Jul 2013

Semi-quantitative pregnancy tests: an interview with Dr. Paul Blumenthal, Stanford University School of Medicine

Regular pregnancy tests work a little bit like a simple light switch that you have on your wall. It’s either on or off. When it’s on, that means the test is positive; if it’s off, obviously, it’s negative.

12 Jul 2013

Key metabolites in blood could provide clues to long-term overall health and ageing

Scientists have found that key metabolites in blood - chemical 'fingerprints' left behind as a result of early molecular changes before birth or in infancy - could provide clues to a person's long-term overall health and rate of ageing in later life.

9 Jul 2013

Views on abortion: USA Today offers contrasting points on effort to set ban after 20 weeks; Democrats can fight back against inroads made by abortion opponents

The 20-week bans are the latest front in the abortion wars that have raged ever since the Supreme Court's decision 40 years ago in Roe v. Wade. In addition to the state bans, the U.S. House passed a 20-week limit in June, using the atrocities by Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell as a rallying cry. Preventing murders like the ones Gosnell committed is certainly an urgent goal. But 20-week bans won't do it and could, in fact, create more tragedies than they prevent (6/30).

2 Jul 2013

Mixed results for acupuncture in improving IVF rates

Acupuncture, when used as a complementary or adjuvant therapy for in vitro fertilization (IVF), may be beneficial depending on the baseline pregnancy rates of a fertility clinic, according to research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The analysis from the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine is published in the June 27 online edition of the journal Human Reproduction Update.

2 Jul 2013

Use of antibacterial soaps containing chemical triclocarban may harm nursing babies

A mother's prolonged use of antibacterial soaps containing the chemical triclocarban may harm nursing babies, according to a recent study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

28 Jun 2013

Study examines long-term effects on babies born to mothers with obstetric cholestasis

Babies born to mothers who suffer from a rare metabolic complication during pregnancy are programmed to be overweight, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

25 Jun 2013

House passes abortion ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy

House lawmakers Tuesday passed a nationwide ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy -- one of the most far-reaching federal bills on abortion in years. The bill, which faces long odds in the Senate and even longer odds to get the president's signature, is unlikely to ever become law.

20 Jun 2013

Exposure to high-fat diet in womb leads to increased body fat in offspring

Exposure to a high-fat diet in the womb and after birth can permanently change the cells in the brain that control food intake, predisposing monkeys to overeating and an increased preference for fatty and sugary foods, a new study finds. The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

18 Jun 2013

Mother's exposure to triclocarban while nursing her babies shortens life of female offspring

A mother's exposure to triclocarban, a common antibacterial chemical, while nursing her babies shortens the life of her female offspring, a new study in rats finds. The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

18 Jun 2013

Rats born with low birth weights are more likely to develop age-related vision loss, say researchers

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta recently published their findings that rats with restricted growth in the womb, causing low birth weights when born, were most susceptible to developing age-related vision loss, compared to their normal weight counterparts.

13 Jun 2013

Rewinding the developmental state of embryonic stem cells is possible, say researchers

Scientists at the Danish Stem Cell Center, DanStem, at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that they can make embryonic stem cells regress to a stage of development where they are able to make placenta cells as well as the other fetal cells.

7 Jun 2013

Heart disease signs in newborns: an interview with Dr Michael Skilton, University of Sydney

Thickening of the walls of the main arteries is the best indicator of poor cardiovascular health in healthy young children.

23 May 2013

Federal appeals court strikes down Arizona ban on abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy

A federal appeals court struck down an Arizona law Tuesday that bans most abortions in that state after 18 weeks of pregnancy. The three-judge panel said the law violates a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy before a fetus can survive outside the womb -- typically 24 weeks.