Maternal Health News and Research

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COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to child and maternal health services, show surveys

With the number of under-five deaths at an all-time recorded low of 5.2 million in 2019, disruptions in child and maternal health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic are putting millions of additional lives at stake

9 Sep 2020

Historical redlining associated with adverse birth outcomes

Past discriminatory housing practices may play a role in perpetuating the significant disparities in infant and maternal health faced by people of color in the U.S., suggests a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

15 Aug 2020

Study reveals women’s experiences in maternity care based on insurance type

Giving birth in the United States is a radically different experience based on race and income, illustrated most brutally by the Black and Indigenous maternal mortality crisis.

28 Jul 2020

Age and diabetes the biggest risk factors for death in pregnant COVID-19 patients

A recent research letter published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 evaluates the risk factors that may lead to higher mortality in pregnant women with COVID-19 in middle-income countries.

4 Jun 2020

Policies increase childbirth in health facilities

Women with health insurance were 15 percentage points more likely to have facility-based childbirth.

20 Apr 2020

Pregnancy and fetal outcomes with COVID-19

A new study published preprint in the non-peer-reviewed journal medRxiv in April 2020 provides a systematic review of maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy affected by COVID-19, as well as the risk of vertical transmission of the virus.

16 Apr 2020

Study highlights the need for improved access to midwifery units

The study, which was led by experts at the University of Nottingham, with collaborators from City, University of London and De Montfort Universities, and was funded by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, looked at six geographical areas in England.

19 Feb 2020

Pregnancy-related public health programs effective at reducing maternal mortality rates

Maternal mortality rates in the United States exceed those of other developed countries, with some considerable racial disparities.

5 Feb 2020

Sepsis killing more people than earlier thought

According to a new study published in the latest issue of The Lancet, this week, more people across the globe are dying of sepsis than earlier believed. A team from the University of Pittsburgh and University of Washington schools of medicine led the research along with their colleagues from different disciplines.

16 Jan 2020

Sepsis deaths found to be much higher than previously estimated

Twice as many people as previously believed are dying of sepsis worldwide, according to an analysis published today in The Lancet and announced at the Critical Care Reviews annual meeting in Belfast. Among them are a disproportionately high number of children in poor areas.

16 Jan 2020

Study examines within-hospital racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity rates

Mount Sinai researchers find black and Latina mothers experience higher rates of severe maternal morbidity as compared with white mothers within the same hospital, with insurance status not responsible for these disparities.

9 Jan 2020

Study reveals the staggering cost of childbirth

One of the most expensive parts of having a baby may involve the birth itself, a new Michigan Medicine study suggests.

6 Jan 2020

Study explores the impact of Medicaid managed care on obstetrical care and birth outcomes

A new study shows that among a set of disadvantaged women, Medicaid managed care reduces the women's access to high-quality hospital services during pregnancy and delivery and was associated with worse birth outcomes, worse prenatal care, and a higher risk of inappropriate gestational weight gain.

22 Dec 2019

Black mothers get less treatment for postpartum depression than other moms

Portia Smith’s most vivid memories of her daughter’s first year are of tears. Not the baby’s. Her own.

6 Dec 2019

Rural women experience higher rates pregnancy complications than urban peers

Women in rural communities experience higher rates of life-threatening complications during or after childbirth than mothers in urban cities, a new study finds.

4 Dec 2019

State-of-the-art expert reviews provide insights into vitamin D research

Vitamin D is essential for human health. Although much is known about its important role in bone metabolism and in certain areas of non-skeletal health, there are many open questions and topics of debate.

27 Nov 2019

UIC and IDPH receive $9.5 million grant to improve maternal outcomes in Illinois

A $9.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will help the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Illinois Department of Public Health improve maternal outcomes in Illinois.

18 Nov 2019

Medicaid tweak might offer means to improve U.S. maternal health

When Madavia Johnson gave birth to Donald Ray Dowless III last year, she was hit by a case of severe postpartum anxiety.

13 Nov 2019

'Family Connects' program can reduce the rate of early child abuse investigations

Family Connects, a program where nurses conduct home visits for newborns and their families, is linked to substantial reductions in child maltreatment investigations in children's earliest years, according to new research from Duke University.

11 Nov 2019

Father’s nutritional pattern affects child’s cardiovascular health

While couples often change their lifestyle in order to conceive faster, including crash diets, a new study in mice throws up the possibility that this kind of extreme dietary modification by the father might result in adverse effects on the child conceived in this manner.

17 Oct 2019