Womb News and Research

RSS

The womb is the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a baby grows. Also called uterus.

Testosterone is not the only hormone needed for penis development

A new study has revealed that in addition to testosterone, the masculinization process involves a hormone called androsterone, which originates in other tissues.

15 Feb 2019

Understanding healing role for kidney-resident macrophages may help treat acute kidney injury

During development in the womb, immune cells called macrophages go to the kidneys, and they remain there for life. Understanding the possible healing role for these macrophages after kidney damage may be crucial to helping treat patients who suffer acute kidney injury.

25 Jan 2019

Cardiovascular disease risk begins even before birth

Heart disease is the greatest killer in the world today, and it is widely accepted that our genes interact with traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and/or a sedentary life to promote an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

23 Jan 2019

The connection between the Pope and contraceptive pills

Millions of women around the world use the combined hormonal oral contraceptive pill whcih has been around the past six decades. The usual method advised is a 21 day cycle of the pill followed by a 7 day break when the woman bleeds.

22 Jan 2019

Placenta adapts and compensates when pregnant mothers have poor diets or low oxygen

Cambridge researchers have discovered the placenta regulates how much oxygen and nutrients it transports to babies during challenging pregnancies in a study using mice to model conditions in the womb.

21 Jan 2019

Cellular protein that interacts with viruses appears to enable infection process of Zika virus

A cellular protein that interacts with invading viruses appears to help enable the infection process of the Zika virus, according to an international team of researchers who suggest this protein could be a key target in developing new therapies to prevent or treat Zika virus infection.

17 Jan 2019

Study highlights efforts to address widespread PFAS contamination in drinking water

A new analysis shows variation in the way state and federal regulators manage PFAS contaminants in drinking water, with some states adopting guideline levels that are more health protective than the non-enforceable levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

9 Jan 2019

Breastfed babies are more likely to be right handed

Babies who are breast fed for a longer duration are more likely to be right handed finds a new study. The study titled, 'Breastfeeding and handedness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data', by Philippe P. Hujoel of the University of Washington is published in the journal Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition.

8 Jan 2019

Essential nutrient may hold promise in the war against Alzheimer's disease

In a new study, researchers at the Biodesign Institute explore a safe and simple treatment for one of the most devastating and perplexing afflictions: Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jan 2019

Standardizing feeding practices improves growth trends for micro-preemies

Standardizing feeding practices, including the timing for fortifying breast milk and formula with essential elements like zinc and protein, improves growth trends for the tiniest preterm infants, according to Children's research presented during the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 2018 Scientific Symposium.

11 Dec 2018

New book encompasses the vast history of reproduction

A new book is the first to encompass the vast history of how living things procreate, from the banks of the ancient Nile to the fertility clinics of today.

7 Dec 2018

Prenatal famine exposure may lead to early menopause and premature ovarian failure

Previous studies have demonstrated that fetal malnutrition can lead to adult chronic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. A new study out of China now suggests that it also can lead to early menopause and premature ovarian failure.

5 Dec 2018

Successful delivery after womb transplant

A Brazilian woman became the first woman to successfully deliver a baby after having received a womb transplant from a dead donor.

4 Dec 2018

Selective survival of embryos under adverse conditions may explain health problems later in life

An international team led by researchers of the Leiden University Medical Center and Lund University in Sweden propose that selection of random epigenetic differences causes particular embryos to survive under adverse conditions in the womb.

4 Dec 2018

Earliest UK estimates of children affected in the womb by alcohol intake during pregnancy

A report published on 30 November 2018 in Preventive Medicine reveals that a stunning 17 percent of children could possibly be affected by alcohol exposure during their intrauterine life. This refers to a group of lifelong conditions caused by prenatal drinking, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

30 Nov 2018

Fetal kicks may allow the baby to 'map' their own body, suggests research

The kicks a mother feels from her unborn child may allow the baby to 'map' their own body and enable them to eventually explore their surroundings, suggests new research led by UCL in collaboration with UCLH.

30 Nov 2018

“Placental organoids” could be the future of pregnancy and conception research say researchers

Researchers have successfully managed to develop “mini placentas” or placenta organoids in the laboratories that could transform research of pregnancy, conception, stillbirth, miscarriages and pregnancy diseases and disorders.

29 Nov 2018

Researchers regrow hair strands on damaged skin

By stirring crosstalk among skin cells that form the roots of hair, researchers report they have regrown hair strands on damaged skin. The findings better explain why hair does not normally grow on wounded skin, and may help in the search for better drugs to restore hair growth, say the study's authors.

28 Nov 2018

Researchers attempt to create world's first genetically edited babies

The researchers have used CRISPR to edit the genes of IVF embryos in a controversial attempt to create offspring that are resistant to disease.

26 Nov 2018

Myriad biological, societal factors that impact CKD severity for children of African descent

Myriad biological and societal factors can impact the occurrence and accelerate progression of chronic kidney disease for children of African descent - including preterm birth, exposure to toxins during gestation and lower socioeconomic status - and can complicate these children's access to effective treatments, according to an invited commentary published in the November 2018 edition of American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

21 Nov 2018