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Study finds significant increase in cannabis use disorder during pregnancy

As more states legalize cannabis (now 37) for medical or recreational purposes its use during pregnancy is increasing, along with the potential for abuse or dependence.

3 Nov 2021

Pregnant women with Takayasu's arteritis may have high prevalence of maternal and fetal complications

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that pregnant women with Takayasu's arteritis, a type of large-vessel vasculitis, appear to have a high prevalence of serious maternal and fetal adverse outcomes.

2 Nov 2021

Pregnant women exposed to landscape fire smoke more likely to have low birth weight babies

Women exposed to smoke from landscape fires during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with low or very low birth weights, according to findings published in eLife.

2 Nov 2021

Sexually dimorphic placental antibody transfer during SARS-CoV-2 infection

In a paper recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine by Bordt et al. (October 19th, 2021), maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections are studied with particular regard to maternal-fetal antibody transfer and virus-induced placental interferon responses, finding a sexually dimorphic response that results in lesser antibody transfer to the male fetus.

26 Oct 2021

Depression, anxiety in pregnant women may increase the likelihood of cesarean deliveries

Depression and anxiety in pregnant women may be connected to the type of delivery they have, new research suggests.

20 Oct 2021

Scientists testify the importance of timely influenza vaccination

With flu season approaching in the United States, new research from an international team of scientists testifies to the importance of timely vaccination

15 Oct 2021

Poor timing of flu vaccinations associated with poor birth outcomes and cesarean births

With flu season approaching in the United States, new research from an international team of scientists testifies to the importance of timely vaccination: Poor timing of influenza vaccination campaigns in the semi-arid region of Brazil led to an increase in premature births, lower birth-weight babies and the need to deliver more babies by cesarean section, the researchers found.

13 Oct 2021

Prescriptions for prenatal substance use disorder treatment fell in US during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers have shown that the number of prescriptions filled out for a treatment associated with improved pregnancy outcomes among individuals with substance use disorder declined in the United States as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continued.

12 Oct 2021

Neonatal outcomes of preterm infants born during COVID lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia

A team of researchers from Australian institutes examined the consequences of community-wide lockdowns on neonatal outcomes of preterm infants, with a secondary focus on the underlying rates of systemic inflammation in infants and mothers around the time of birth.

5 Oct 2021

Untreated depression in pregnant women associated with low birth weight and preterm birth

Untreated depression in pregnant people is strongly linked to low birth weight and preterm birth, with Black pregnant people suffering worse outcomes than their white peers, according to a new meta-analysis led by Shannon Simonovich, assistant professor at DePaul University's School of Nursing.

5 Oct 2021

Air pollution linked to almost 6 million premature births worldwide

Air pollution likely contributed to almost 6 million premature births and almost 3 million underweight babies in 2019, according to a UC San Francisco and University of Washington global burden of disease study and meta-analysis that quantifies the effects of indoor and outdoor pollution around the world.

28 Sep 2021

Study finds increase in cannabis use by pregnant women during the pandemic

A Kaiser Permanente analysis of more than 100,000 pregnancies in Northern California finds a 25% increase in the rate of cannabis use early in pregnancy after the pandemic began in spring 2020.

27 Sep 2021

Consumption of common antibiotic during pregnancy can reduce low birth weight and premature births

A common antibiotic has been found to reduce low birth weight and premature births, if taken during pregnancy, in countries where malaria is endemic, according to a research review.

22 Sep 2021

Smoking during pregnancy increases risk of birth defects and neurological disorders

Mothers who smoke are more likely to deliver smaller babies even after a full-term pregnancy, increasing the risks of birth defects and neurological disorders later in life, say researchers from McGill University.

21 Sep 2021

Prenatal ultrafine PM exposure has adverse effects on children’s health, development

Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of air pollution that is increasingly associated with long-term consequences for the health and development of children.

14 Sep 2021

Behavioral change strategies could help curb short birth spacing in Africa

Chichi Okafor, a 30-year-old Nigerian woman, unexpectedly became pregnant again before her daughter turned six months old.

9 Sep 2021

Maternal obesity during pregnancy may heighten the risk of colorectal cancer in adult offspring

Infants whose mothers were obese during pregnancy may have a heightened risk of developing colorectal cancer later in life, according to new research led by public health experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

27 Aug 2021

Study examines impact of COVID pandemic on birth outcomes in Wales

Researchers in the UK have looked at the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on the population birth outcomes in 2020, detailing the experiences of the expectant mothers from immunization rates for babies to self-reported levels of stress and anxiety in the mothers, compared to pre-COVID years.

25 Aug 2021

Maternal obesity may raise the risk of bowel cancer in adult offspring

An obese mum-to-be may be raising the risk of bowel cancer in her adult children, suggests research of more than 18,000 mother and child pairs, published online in the journal Gut.

24 Aug 2021

Exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy raises risk for preterm birth

Exposure to wildfire smoke during pregnancy increases the risk that a baby will be born too early, a new Stanford University study suggests.

23 Aug 2021