Birth Weight News and Research

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Study finds ‘widespread’ use of toxic chemicals in a range of cosmetics

Cosmetics from the United States have been found to contain high levels of polyuoroalkyl substances (PFAS), associated with a range of harmful conditions.

15 Jun 2021

$Heavier birth weight is linked to higher risk of bone fracture later in life$

Heavier birth weight is linked to higher risk of bone fracture later in life

New research published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research has linked heavier birth weight with lower bone mineral density and a higher risk of bone fracture later in life.

9 Jun 2021

New app helps women achieve healthy weight gain and lifestyle during pregnancy

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have developed an app to help women achieve a healthy weight gain and lifestyle during a pregnancy.

2 Jun 2021

Very preterm or very low birthweight children may require special support to boost their learning

The average IQ of adults who were born very preterm (VP) or at a very low birth weight (VLBW) has been compared to adults born full term by researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick.

1 Jun 2021

New study launched to understand COVID impact on mental health in parents and babies

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the lives of many all over the world upside down. Nowhere has this been more obvious than the interactions between parents and children, beginning during pregnancy, over the past year of the pandemic. A new study from Oxford and Cambridge in the UK will explore the reality of changes in this area, and how they have impacted early human development.

26 May 2021

Are COVID-19 medications safe in pregnancy?

Most medications being tested today in clinical trials for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been repurposed from other indications. These are typically not tested in pregnant women. A new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, summarizes what is known about the safety of these drugs in this group.

24 May 2021

Women need to avoid pregnancy for 12 months after bariatric surgery

A study presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (held online, 10-13 May) supports recommendations to avoid pregnancy for 12 months after bariatric (obesity) surgery due to an association with adverse outcomes in pregnancy including an elevated risk of preterm birth.

8 May 2021

New low cost, non-electric warmer effectively treats infant hypothermia

Neonatal hypothermia -- which occurs when an infant's core body temperature falls below the normal range needed to maintain health -- contributes to approximately one million deaths each year, and countless cases of stunted growth, almost exclusively in low- and middle-income countries.

7 May 2021

Pregnancy may increase the risk of COVID-19 severity

Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy has been a subject of much controversy. In order to help answer the question as to whether this infection causes significant harm in pregnancy, a new study, released as a medRxiv* preprint, reports on the disease outcomes of this infection in pregnant women.

5 May 2021

Experts create evidence-informed guidance for nutritional care of preterm infants

A hot topic symposia session during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2021 Virtual Meeting will address the persistent controversies and questions in preterm infant nutrition.

5 May 2021

COVID-19 in pregnancy does not significantly increase respiratory illness in newborns, says study

A new study published in the journal JAMA offers reassuring evidence that infants born to mothers with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or even asymptomatic infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have little increase in respiratory symptoms over babies born to uninfected mothers.

4 May 2021

Neonates exposed to SARS-CoV-2 can sustain adverse health outcomes

The incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission from mothers to newborns appears low and may be linked to biological as well as social factors. However, studies focusing on the factors associated with neonatal viral testing outcomes.

27 Apr 2021

Study reports on safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnancy

Researchers used different surveillance systems in the United States to track adverse outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in pregnant people and found no major safety flags.

23 Apr 2021

Babies born to mothers with cannabis use disorder more likely to experience negative health outcomes

A study of almost 5 million live births in California by researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego reports that babies born to mothers diagnosed with cannabis use disorder were more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight, than babies born to mothers without a cannabis use disorder diagnosis.

22 Apr 2021

Prenatal exposure to phthalates is linked to altered cognitive outcomes in infants

Exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals widely used in packaging and consumer products, is known to interfere with normal hormone function and development in human and animal studies.

7 Apr 2021

USGS study finds high levels of arsenic and uranium in private well water across Connecticut

A new U.S. Geological Survey study provides an updated, statewide estimate of high levels of naturally occurring arsenic and uranium in private well water across Connecticut.

7 Apr 2021

Male fetuses impair the maternal and placental immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, finds study

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is now established to be more likely to lead to symptomatic and serious illness in males relative to females. This may extend as far back as pregnancy, suggests a recent study.

31 Mar 2021

Corticosteroid therapy in pregnant women with COVID-19

A new study describes the outcome of corticosteroid use in pregnancy.

29 Mar 2021

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted birth statistics in the U.S.?

A new study examines national-level changes in fertility, preterm birth and other obstetric outcomes, in the U.S., over the period of the pandemic throughout 2020.