In Utero News and Research

RSS

COVID-19 in pregnancy may raise autism and neurodevelopmental disorder risk

Children born to mothers who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy face a 29% higher likelihood of developmental disorders by age three, including speech, motor, and autism-spectrum delays. The risk was greatest for male offspring and infections occurring in the third trimester.

30 Oct 2025

What Britain’s post-war sugar rationing teaches us about long-term heart health

A BMJ study found that individuals exposed to sugar rationing during their first 1,000 days of life had significantly lower risks of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure in adulthood. Early-life sugar restriction was linked to a 2.5-year delay in cardiovascular disease onset, suggesting long-term benefits for heart health.

26 Oct 2025

Restricted sugar intake during early life associated with lower cardiovascular risks in adulthood

Restricted sugar intake during early life is linked to lower risks of several heart conditions in adulthood, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke, finds a study published by The BMJ today using data from the end of UK sugar rationing in 1953.

23 Oct 2025

Mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in preemies’ brains

Hearing the sound of their mother's voice promotes development of language pathways in a premature baby's brain, according to a new Stanford Medicine-led study.

14 Oct 2025

Influenza infection in pregnant mice linked to fetal brain exposure

A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows, for the first time, that severe flu infection in pregnant mice leads to a breakdown in placental and brain barriers, leading to the accumulation of potentially harmful molecules in the fetal brain.

24 Sep 2025

Prenatal exposure to opioid analgesics not linked to increased risk of autism or ADHD

Previous studies have suggested that children exposed to opioid pain medications while in the womb have higher rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but a new study finds that any increased risk could be explained by other factors.

16 Sep 2025

Stress in mothers causes eczema in newborn mice through immune cell changes

Maternal prenatal stress in mice disrupts fetal mast cell programming, triggering eczema-like skin inflammation and heightened sensitivity after birth. The findings reveal how corticosterone-driven immune and neuronal changes in utero may set the stage for pediatric eczema risk.

28 Aug 2025

New global consensus offers hope for women with inflammatory bowel disease during pregnancy

For women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pregnancy can be an uncertain time due to limited clinical data about how IBD medications impact pregnancy outcomes and infants who have been exposed to IBD medications in utero.

28 Aug 2025

Antibiotics in pregnancy and infancy do not raise autoimmune disease risk in children

A nationwide Korean cohort study found that antibiotic use during pregnancy or early infancy did not increase overall risk of childhood autoimmune diseases. Subgroup signals for Crohn’s disease and autoimmune thyroiditis warrant cautious follow-up.

25 Aug 2025

Urban heat and pollution linked to behavioral changes in children

Individuals living in urban cities are experiencing the combined effect of increasing temperatures and poor air quality, often referred to as the urban heat dome.

22 Aug 2025

New generation of CRISPR shows safer path to treating genetic diseases

A new generation of CRISPR technology developed at UNSW Sydney offers a safer path to treating genetic diseases like Sickle Cell, while also proving beyond doubt that chemical tags on DNA - often thought to be little more than genetic cobwebs - actively silence genes.

17 Aug 2025

Fetal procedure dramatically reduces mortality in high-risk Vein of Galen Malformation cases

Building upon the success of the first in utero brain surgery for Vein of Galen Malformation (VOGM) reported in 2023, new data published today in JAMA provides further evidence for the potential use of fetal embolization for this condition.

11 Aug 2025

Virtual memory T cells provide nonspecific immunity for infants early in life

Findings from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrate that virtual memory T cells, a specialized group of immune cells, provide nonspecific immunity for infants early in life.

31 Jul 2025

Forever chemicals cross placenta and breast milk affecting babies’ immunity

New research reveals that tiny amounts of PFAS-widely known as "forever chemicals"-cross the placenta and breast milk to alter infants' developing immune systems, potentially leaving lasting imprints on their ability to fight disease.

23 Jul 2025

Study uncovers how teeth hold key clues to childhood craniofacial disorders

Teeth may seem like static fixtures, but a new collaboration between engineers and clinicians is proving just how dynamic, informative and medically significant our teeth can be.

18 Jul 2025

In utero exposure to vape liquids can alter skull shape during fetal development

In utero exposure to two liquid ingredients in e-cigarettes – minus the nicotine that drives addiction – can alter skull shape during fetal development, a new study in mice has found.

16 Jul 2025

New method expands access to patient-specific amniotic stem cells

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that amniotic fluid stem cells can be safely collected from vaginal fluid after childbirth rather than relying on more invasive methods that can pose some risk to the mother and fetus.

16 Jul 2025

Understanding the early roots of sensory differences in autism

A researcher from the University of Kansas Life Span Institute is part of an international group that recently published a comprehensive review of differences in sensory processing for people with autism during the prenatal (in utero) and neonatal (birth to a few months old) phases of life.

15 Jul 2025

Early life exposure to PFHxA may impact male brain development

"Forever chemicals" or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been widely used in consumer and industrial products for the better part of a century, but do not break down in the natural environment.

4 Jul 2025

Prenatal exposure to air pollution and climatic factors associated with adverse birth outcomes in India

Prenatal exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and climatic factors, such as temperature and rainfall, are associated with adverse birth outcomes in India, according to a study published July 2nd, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Mary Abed Al Ahad from the University of St Andrews, U.K.

3 Jul 2025