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Environmental stressors linked to fetal brain development challenges

Review article in the journal Antioxidants explores the impact of environmental factors on fetal and neonatal brain development, emphasizing the role of inflammation and oxidative stress from maternal stressors.

15 Apr 2024

Researchers call for policy changes to address perinatal mental health disparities

A team of researchers is calling for comprehensive changes to U.S. health care and social policies to improve diagnosis and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions and mitigate the dramatic disparities that put women of color at significantly greater risks of morbidity and mortality compared with white women.

3 Apr 2024

Study reveals underdiagnosis and inequities in postpartum depression treatment

Pregnancy and childbirth can be significant stressors on mental health. Nearly one in eight people who have given birth develop postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1 Apr 2024

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit of an urgent priority: shutting down access to abortion pills for women across the country.

25 Mar 2024

Rapid rise in syphilis hits Native Americans hardest

From her base in Gallup, New Mexico, Melissa Wyaco supervises about two dozen public health nurses who crisscross the sprawling Navajo Nation searching for patients who have tested positive for or been exposed to a disease once nearly eradicated in the U.S.: syphilis.

21 Mar 2024

Study reports alarming increase in U.S. maternal mortality rates

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is accelerating at an alarming rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine.

20 Mar 2024

Objective risk information motivates preeclampsia prevention among pregnant patients

A new study in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth finds that objective information about risk of preeclampsia could be key to driving patient behavior change and creates motivation among pregnant patients to follow provider recommendations on prevention, even among those who are medication-hesitant.

19 Mar 2024

A new $16,000 postpartum depression drug is here. How will insurers handle it?

A much-awaited treatment for postpartum depression, zuranolone, hit the market in December, promising an accessible and fast-acting medication for a debilitating illness.

12 Mar 2024

From China to Uzbekistan - United for Women’s Wellness on IWD

On the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD), BGI Genomics interview Wang Leilei, a trailblazing blind model, and Viktoriya Tsay, an Uzbek advocate of women’s health. Their stories stich a cross-cultural narrative of nurturing the nuance of women’s wellness worldwide.

From BGI Genomics 6 Mar 2024

Oxygenation in the placenta predicts childhood brain growth

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 the brain or cerebral cortex) and is likely a predictor of childhood cognition and behavior.

27 Feb 2024

Maternal mental illness: An under-recognized contributor to the mortality of new mothers

Painting a sobering picture, a research team led by Children's National Hospital culled years of data demonstrating that maternal mental illness is an under-recognized contributor to the death of new mothers.

21 Feb 2024

Complications during pregnancy linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke later in life

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and women who have complications during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, have a significantly higher risk of heart disease and stroke later in life, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published today in Circulation, the Association's flagship peer-reviewed journal.

12 Feb 2024

Repeat PlGF testing for pre-eclampsia not beneficial, research finds

A single test to speed up diagnosis of a serious disease in pregnant women does not need to be repeated, new research has found.

8 Feb 2024

Study links social inequality to lower pain relief during labor

In a study of women in labor in the U. S., social inequity was associated with lower use of neuraxial analgesia -- an epidural or spinal pain reliever-- among non-Hispanic White women and, to a greater extent, among African American women, according to research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S).

2 Feb 2024

Maternal happiness during pregnancy linked to child's brain development

Study reveals that maternal emotional well-being during pregnancy is linked to significant brain development benefits in children, particularly in the hippocampal volume of female offspring.

30 Jan 2024

Prenatal air pollution exposure increases the risk of severe respiratory distress in newborns

Prenatal exposure to air pollution increases the risk of severe respiratory distress in newborn babies, according to new research conducted at the Penn State College of Medicine in collaboration with the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study led by Health Canada.

29 Jan 2024

Neonates exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in utero at higher risk of respiratory distress, study finds

Researchers found that neonates born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection face an increased risk of respiratory distress, potentially due to an inflammatory response triggered by prenatal exposure.

29 Jan 2024

Improving communication could promote positive birth experiences for Black birthing people

This study explored the perspectives of Black birthing people on how better communication with care teams may have improved their birth experiences.

22 Jan 2024

California offers a lifeline for medical residents who can’t find abortion training

Bria Peacock chose a career in medicine because the Black Georgia native saw the dire health needs in her community — including access to abortion care.

10 Jan 2024

The equity imperative: A roundtable on transforming healthcare

In the Roundtable titled "A Glimpse at How Stakeholders Are Working Towards Achieving Health Equity," published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Equity, two expert panel discussions examine efforts to achieve maternal health equity and changes that health systems can make to operationalize health equity.

9 Jan 2024