Womb News and Research

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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.

Study identifies genes that regulate gestational length and likelihood of preterm delivery

The genes that regulate gestational length and the likelihood of preterm delivery, have been identified in a study involving more than 50,000 women. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) describes the scientific breakthrough that can lead to improved health and survival among children.

7 Sep 2017

New guidelines explain how to reduce delays in endometriosis diagnosis

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released guidelines aimed to raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals about delayed diagnosis being a significant problem for women who have endometriosis.

6 Sep 2017

Older wombs have more trouble in adapting to pregnancy

Deciding to start a family later in life could be about more than just the age of your eggs. A new study in mice suggests the age of a mother's womb may also have a part to play.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists identify novel role for retrotransposons in shaping embryonic chromatin landscape

Retrotransposons are repetitive elements that form almost half of the mammalian genome. Even though they are so common, they have previously been considered to be fairly insignificant.

30 Aug 2017

Placenta-on-a-chip device mimics microenvironment of malaria in the womb to develop treatments

Malaria, one of the most severe public health problems, affected 212 million people worldwide in 2015. This life-threatening disease is caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

29 Aug 2017

Retina scans could help identify Alzheimer’s

Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision Imaging LLC have made it possible to identify the pathological markers of Alzheimer’s using retinal scans. These scans are non- invasive and could be performed routinely in future to detect this dreaded form of degenerative brain disease. The paper was published online in the JCI Insight on 17th of August.

22 Aug 2017

Zika suppresses immune system during pregnancy to harm baby, report researchers

Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered that the Zika virus works by suppressing a pregnant woman’s immune system so that the virus can spread and increase the chance of harming an unborn baby.

22 Aug 2017

Novel mussel-inspired glue could one day save lives of youngest patients

Whether to perform surgery on a fetus is a heart-wrenching decision. This type of surgery involves penetrating the highly delicate amniotic sac, increasing health risks to the fetus.

21 Aug 2017

Artificial womb may provide avenue to improve outcomes for extremely preterm infants

An artificial womb has been successfully used to incubate healthy baby lambs for a period of one week, and researchers hope the technology will one day be able to do the same for extremely premature babies.

17 Aug 2017

Mice study reveals how natural killer cells in the placenta can cause miscarriages

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have identified how natural killer cells in the mouse placenta can cause a fetus to fail to grow in the womb or cause miscarriages.

9 Aug 2017

Researchers track how flu shot during pregnancy affects expectant mothers and babies

Pregnant women and young babies are among those most at risk for complications, hospitalization, and death from the flu.

1 Aug 2017

Culture of silence around vaginal bleeding poses threat to women's health

The culture of silence around vaginal bleeding at all stages of life endangers women's health and is compounded by limited access to clean water, sanitation, and factual information in low and middle-income countries, according to a study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The findings are published in the online journal BMJ Global Health.

31 Jul 2017

Aggressive treatment for hypertension may lead to kidney damage, research suggests

Aggressive combination treatments for high blood pressure that are intended to protect the kidneys may actually be damaging the organs, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

18 Jul 2017

Language development may start in utero, study suggests

A month before they are born, fetuses carried by American mothers-to-be can distinguish between someone speaking to them in English and Japanese.

18 Jul 2017

Malaria drug effectively blocks Zika virus transmission to the fetus

Devastating consequences of Zika virus infection are suffered in the womb, where the virus can cause brain damage and sometimes death.

10 Jul 2017

Neuroscientists discover how prenatal alcohol exposure increases risk for drug addiction later in life

One of the many negative consequences, when fetuses are exposed to alcohol in the womb, is an increased risk for drug addiction later in life.

10 Jul 2017

Maternal consumption of alcohol could produce transgenerational effects

Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning - don't drink while pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued numerous statements about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as it can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in newborns.

7 Jul 2017

Barnardo's issues tips to help parents bond with their babies before birth

Start bonding with your baby before birth with these top tips from Barnardo’s during Infant Mental Health Awareness Week.

20 Jun 2017

Being overweight or obese during pregnancy increases risk of birth defects, study finds

The risk of babies being born with major birth defects increases, the more overweight or obese a mother is, according to a Swedish study. The authors of the research say their findings “underline the importance of having a maternal BMI in the normal range before pregnancy” and that efforts should be made to encourage women of reproductive age to adopt a healthy lifestyle and obtain a normal body weight before conception.

15 Jun 2017

Study suggests human embryos not susceptible to dying early as often claimed

How difficult is it to conceive? According to a widely-held view, fewer than one in three embryos make it to term, but a new study from a researcher at the University of Cambridge suggests that human embryos are not as susceptible to dying in the first weeks after fertilization as often claimed.

13 Jun 2017