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Melatonin dampens fetal membrane inflammation linked to preterm birth

Melatonin reduced infection-related inflammation in human fetal membranes in an ex vivo model. The study suggests that this effect works partly through melatonin receptors and by suppressing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

28 Jun 2026

Base editing technique reveals crucial gene for early human development

Research led by the University of Cambridge Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research has shown that a genome editing technique can be used to alter a single gene in human embryonic cells, enabling the study of very early human development in unparalleled detail.

25 Jun 2026

Maternal blood test reveals prenatal methylation clues linked to autism risk

Researchers found that maternal plasma cell-free DNA methylation patterns in late pregnancy were associated with later autism diagnosis and maternal obesity in a high-likelihood ASD cohort. The findings suggest cfDNA may offer a minimally invasive way to study prenatal epigenetic changes linked to neurodevelopmental risk, but larger validation studies are needed.

25 Jun 2026

NIH funds University of Minnesota research on congenital cytomegalovirus infection

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team has received a new 5-year, $3.87 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how the immune system protects against congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

23 Jun 2026

Hyperemesis gravidarum increases risks for pregnancy and birth complications

Pregnant women with a severe form of nausea face increased risks for several pregnancy and birth complications, according to a new Stanford Medicine study of 2.5 million California births.

22 Jun 2026

Study maps biological pathways of weed killer during pregnancy

Exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weed killers, was linked to changes in several hormones that support pregnancy and fetal development-in one of the few studies to examine how a widely used herbicide may affect the body during pregnancy. The results come from a new study led by University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers.

16 Jun 2026

Noninvasive sequencing expands prenatal genetic screening capabilities

While non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has revolutionised prenatal diagnostics by allowing the detection of a number of genetic problems in a fetus, it is currently limited and thus misses many genetic causes of abnormalities.

12 Jun 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

Hydrogel breakthrough offers significant advance in type 1 diabetes treatment

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have reached a significant advance in the fight against type 1 diabetes. Using an innovative hydrogel that supports insulin-producing cells once transplanted into the body, the team successfully regulated blood sugar levels in diabetic mice.

18 May 2026

Chia seeds may boost fetal brain DHA during obesity-linked pregnancy

Chia seed supplementation during pregnancy increased maternal omega-3 long-chain fatty acids, including DHA, in a rat model of high-fat-high-sugar diet-induced obesity. The findings suggest plant-derived ALA from chia seeds may improve maternal, placental, and mid-gestation fetal brain lipid profiles, but human relevance and offspring outcomes still need testing.

17 May 2026

Vaginal birth after cesarean more common at Black-serving hospitals

Low-risk patients at predominantly Black-serving hospitals (BSH) who previously gave birth through Cesareans are likelier to attempt and successfully deliver vaginally in a subsequent pregnancy than they are at hospitals treating few Black patients, new UCLA-led research finds.

17 May 2026

Prenatal chemical mixtures may influence fetal growth and placental health

Common environmental chemicals could affect birthweight and placental function, according to a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa" Foundation. Conducted within the Barcelona Life Study Cohort (BiSC), the research underscores the importance of considering real-life exposure to complex chemical mixtures and highlights the role of angiogenic biomarkers in linking these exposures to fetal development.

17 May 2026

Tranexamic acid modestly reduces bleeding after cesarean delivery in women

Giving tranexamic acid to women with placenta praevia (when the placenta covers the cervical opening) undergoing cesarean birth leads to a significant yet modest reduction in severe bleeding after delivery with no evidence of an increase in serious adverse events, finds a trial from China published by The BMJ today.

13 May 2026

Maternal insulin resistance linked to higher abdominal fat in girls

Girls born to mothers with higher insulin resistance during the third trimester are more likely to have more abdominal fat at age 7, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

12 May 2026

Study links microplastics in arterial plaque to fourfold increase in stroke risk

In a Perspective published today in the inaugural issue of Brain Health (https://doi.org/10.61373/bh026p.0006), an international team of investigators argues that the human microplastic burden has crossed the threshold from environmental concern to brain health emergency. The article appears alongside the launch of Brain Health, a new peer-reviewed journal from Genomic Press dedicated to the science of lifelong brain resilience.

5 May 2026

Study links socioeconomic stressors to worse pregnancy outcomes for black women

Stresses experienced by black women, such as socioeconomic inequalities, may alter key processes in the body that predispose them to worse pregnancy outcomes than white women, a study by the University of Cambridge has found.

28 Apr 2026

New blood filtering treatment safely extends pregnancy in severe preeclampsia

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed and successfully tested a new treatment for pregnant women with severe early preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth as well as maternal and fetal death.

27 Apr 2026

COVID-19 virus not retained in placenta after maternal recovery

A new Yale study published in JAMA Network Open finds that the virus that causes COVID-19 does not linger in placental tissue weeks to months after a pregnant woman recovers from infection - offering important reassurance for clinicians and patients alike.

22 Apr 2026

Stem cell model recreates early human embryo with yolk sac

For the first time, a stem cell model has produced a structure resembling an early human embryo with a yolk-sac-like structure, from a single starting stem cell population and without direct genetic manipulation.

21 Apr 2026

Study identifies new genes linked to severe pregnancy sickness

The USC research team that recently identified the hormone-encoding gene GDF15 as a key driver of pregnancy sickness has identified 9 additional genes linked to its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).

14 Apr 2026