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Anesthesia boosts success of turning breech babies before labor

Women carrying breech babies have a better chance of avoiding a cesarean delivery (C-section) when spinal or epidural anesthesia is used during external cephalic version (ECV), a procedure used to turn the baby head-down before labor, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

12 Aug 2026

Novel wearable ultrasound patch improves high-risk pregnancy monitoring

Current fetal monitoring tools for physicians to closely follow high-risk pregnancies are inadequate, so researchers at Stanford Medicine, the University of California San Diego and Oxford University developed a wearable ultrasound patch to monitor such pregnancies.

26 May 2026

Labor induction methods show similar effectiveness and differing safety profiles

A new review including over 100 clinical trials has found that no induction method was clearly effective than low-dose vaginal misoprostol, although some methods were less effective and safety profiles varied.

27 Jan 2026

Endometrium-free closure technique for C-section may help lower the risk of long-term complications

As cesarean delivery (C-section) rates continue to rise worldwide, experts at NYU Langone Health are highlighting a surgical technique that may help lower the risk of long-term complications.

2 Jan 2026

UTHealth Houston researchers receive NIH grant for fetoscopic spina bifida repair study

A five-year, $2.8 million grant was awarded to researchers at UTHealth Houston by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the long-term effects on patients enrolled in the "Cryopreserved Human Umbilical Cord as a Meningeal Patch in Fetoscopic Spina Bifida Repair" trial.

1 Dec 2025

New research supports general anesthesia as an option for cesarean births

Regional anesthesia-typically with a spinal or epidural block-has long been favored for cesarean births due in part to concerns about the effects that general anesthesia may have on newborns during labor and delivery.

12 Nov 2025

New mothers more likely to experience severe pain and sleep problems after C-section

New mothers are more likely to experience severe pain that disrupts sleep and activities of daily living, as well as develop sleep disorders, if they give birth by cesarean delivery (C-section), suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025 annual meeting.

12 Oct 2025

Holder vs Retort: How milk pasteurization shapes preterm infants’ gut health

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center found that pasteurization methods shape the gut microbiomes of preterm infants fed donor human milk. Holder pasteurization preserved microbial diversity and beneficial taxa better than Retort, producing microbiomes more similar to those from mothers’ own milk.

17 Sep 2025

Doulas, once a luxury, are increasingly covered by Medicaid — even in GOP states

As a postpartum doula, Dawn Oliver does her best work in the middle of the night.

10 Jul 2025

Planned C-sections linked to increased risk of developing childhood leukemia

Children born by planned C-section have an increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) later in life.

4 Jul 2025

Missing gut bacteria in US babies triples allergy and eczema risk

US infants lacking Bifidobacterium in their gut microbiome face significant changes in microbial composition, metabolic function, and immune-related health risks. This large, nationally representative study links early-life Bifidobacterium deficits to a three-fold increase in eczema, allergy, or asthma by age two.

25 Jun 2025

Early gut bacteria may help protect babies from respiratory infections

A baby's makeup of gut bacteria - their microbiome - which starts to form as soon as they are born, could help protect against viral infections later in childhood, a new study suggests.

5 Jun 2025

Maternal obesity linked to children's heightened risk of infection-related hospitalizations

Children born to mothers who are very obese with a BMI of 35 or higher are at heightened risk of being admitted to hospital for an infection, finds a long term study published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.

3 Jun 2025

Early allergen introduction reduces childhood food allergy risk

Investigating allergy prevention, this research highlights early intervention strategies and the promise of biologic treatments in managing allergic conditions.

29 May 2025

Gut bacteria and genes jointly shape obesity risk, review reveals hidden links

Researchers examined the heritability of body mass index (BMI), highlighting that genetics and the gut microbiome both play major roles in obesity risk. The review emphasizes that maternal microbiome transmission and family environment may help explain “missing heritability” beyond known genetic factors.

20 May 2025