Birth Weight News and Research

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Boys born small at higher risk of infertility

A new study published in the journal Human Reproduction on December 13, 2019, shows that baby boys who don’t grow as well as expected in the womb may grow up to be infertile as adults. The study showed a 55% or 85% higher risk of infertility among this group of men compared to those born with appropriate weights.

15 Dec 2019

Study reports case-specific monetary estimates for childhood illness linked to air pollution

A new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is the first to compile the estimated per-case costs of six childhood health conditions linked to air pollution--estimates that can be incorporated into benefits assessments of air pollution regulations and climate change mitigation policies.

12 Dec 2019

Smoking during pregnancy may increase woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most significant risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. In the United States, 10.7% of all women smoke during their pregnancy or are exposed to second-hand smoke.

9 Dec 2019

Study estimates health effects of breathing airborne PCBs around New Bedford Harbor

The levels of PCBs in the air are high enough to affect thyroid hormones in people who reside close to the harbor, raising the risk of diabetes, low birth weight, and impaired neurodevelopment.

3 Dec 2019

Daily cannabis use during pregnancy associated with delayed fetal growth

Daily marijuana use during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of low birth weight, low resistance to infection, decreased oxygen levels and other negative fetal health outcomes, according to a new study from a team of UNLV Medicine doctors.

2 Dec 2019

Study reveals exposure of new-born babies in NICU environment to harmful chemicals

A multidisciplinary team of scientists from Granada has warned for the first time of the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) and parabens (PBs) in a wide range of plastic medical devices, fabrics, personal care products (including topical creams), and nutritional supplements in hospital neonatal intensive care units, coming into direct contact with new-born babies.

29 Nov 2019

Researchers study the effects of hyperoxia on the lung development of germ-free newborn mice

Charitharth Vivek Lal, M.D., and University of Alabama at Birmingham colleagues have used a novel and first-of-its-kind newborn mouse model to study the effect of high oxygen concentrations, or hyperoxia, on lung development of newborn mice that are germ-free -- meaning no microbes colonizing their lungs.

21 Nov 2019

Eating disorder can affect pregnancy outcome and offspring’s health

A pregnant woman with an eating disorder needs to be screened for complications more carefully because she is high-risk.

21 Nov 2019

New findings could help clinicians to improve care for pregnant women and new mums with depression

Professor Sue Jordan from the University's College of Human and Health Science, who led the study, says the findings could be used to help clinicians improve care for women during pregnancy and after they have given birth.

20 Nov 2019

Study investigates health, well-being of adults who were born preterm at very low birth weight

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare is investigating the health and well-being of adults who were born preterm at very low birth weight in a series of studies that are unique worldwide.

18 Nov 2019

Improved method for predicting retinopathy of prematurity could reduce unnecessary tests

A multicenter group of 41 hospitals led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has confirmed that an improved method for predicting retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of blindness in children, was able to reduce the number of babies having invasive diagnostic examinations by nearly a third, while raising disease detection up to 100 percent.

14 Nov 2019

Study uncovers risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose

Massachusetts researchers have published a new study in the journal Addiction that uncovers several risk factors associated with postpartum opioid overdose.

13 Nov 2019

Preterm birth and institutional deprivation have similar effects on child's temperament

A child's temperament is affected by the early stages of their life. Researchers from the University of Warwick, the University of Tennessee, University of Southampton and Kings College London have found children who were born very preterm (under 32 weeks gestation) or very low birthweight (under 1500g) had similar temperamental difficulties in controlling their impulses, to children who experienced institutional deprivation.

12 Nov 2019

Study finds reliable biomarker for noninvasive detection of deadly infant disease

A diagnostic study of 136 premature infants found that a protein involved in managing harmful bacteria in the human intestine is a reliable biomarker for the noninvasive detection of necrotizing enterocolitis.

8 Nov 2019

New prenatal care approach offers the benefit of shared experience among women

A month before her baby was due, Mirian Zempualteca decided to start maternity leave early. Her belly was getting in the way of her job at a Brooklyn department store.

2 Nov 2019

A safer alternative to wood-burning stoves for Uganda

According to the World Health Organization, around 3.8 million people die annually as a result of exposure to soot and smoke from wood burning cook stoves that millions still cook on, around the globe. The WHO says that these stoves carry a risk of not only lung diseases but also pneumonia, stroke, low birth weight and lung cancers. The most vulnerable populations exposed to this smoke remain the women and children.

24 Oct 2019

Rutgers professor discusses children’s vulnerabilities to pesticides and how to reduce exposure

Studies show that exposure to pesticides – specifically those containing chlorpyrifos, which attack an insect's nervous system – can harm a child's physical and mental development.

23 Oct 2019

Unique collaboration launches 'Clean Air for Schools' program in the UK

The Philips Foundation, a charitable organization set up in 2014 by global health technology leader Royal Philips to provide access to care for disadvantaged communities, has today launched the ‘Clean Air for Schools’ program with Global Action Plan, a leading environmental charity and the University of Manchester, a leading research institute of air quality.

23 Oct 2019

Pregnant women with anemia more likely to need blood transfusions after cesarean delivery

Pregnant women with anemia are twice as likely to need blood transfusions after a cesarean delivery, as those without the condition, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2019 annual meeting.

21 Oct 2019

Measuring development in young children: the DNA clock

Scientists have come up with a new discovery that could transform our understanding of how childhood growth and development are measured – the DNA clock. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, is the first paper to...

16 Oct 2019