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.

In utero environment can impact brain development, study shows

A new study shows that what happens to a fetus in the womb can affect the brain later in life.

25 Jan 2017

UC biologists use frog models to study how early stressors may play role in onset of adult diseases

UC biologists have turned to amphibian sources -- specifically frogs and tadpoles -- to help shed light on how early stressors in the womb and shortly after birth may play a part in the onset of adult diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

19 Jan 2017

Researcher to explore experiences of teenage girls living with endometriosis

A researcher from Birmingham City University is set to embark on a study into the awareness and experiences of endometriosis in adolescent girls

18 Jan 2017

TMDU researchers identify metabolic pathway crucial for embryo development

Much has been revealed about how a single fertilized cell, the egg, can develop into a complete organism simply via repeated cycles of cell division. However, many gaps remain in our understanding of how these dividing cells are directed to arrange themselves appropriately at each stage of embryonic development.

18 Jan 2017

Childhood obesity starts in the womb?

There is incontrovertible evidence that some harmful drugs and toxins can affect lifelong health. For example, if women take certain drugs in pregnancy, such as thalidomide, there are well documented effects on lifelong health. These have obvious and dramatic effects on the child...

11 Jan 2017

Premature infants show changes in neural systems prior to birth, new study suggests

Even before they are born, premature babies may display alterations in the circuitry of their developing brains, according to a first-of-its kind research study by Yale School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Wayne State University.

10 Jan 2017

Mothers' use of acid-suppressing medication during pregnancy may be linked to asthma in children

Children born to mothers who take heartburn medication during pregnancy may have a greater risk of developing asthma, research suggests.

9 Jan 2017

Giving polycystic kidney disease the bump

We launched this campaign at the beginning of October 2016. It's the first time that we've ever had a campaign of this size and scope. It's a European campaign in multiple languages that's coordinated by six of the organizations that represent PKD patients in Europe.

5 Jan 2017

Study shows effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training for prevention of prolapse symptoms

Researchers, including several University of Otago academics, have conducted the first trial of pelvic floor muscle training for the prevention of prolapse symptoms in women with early signs of prolapse several years after childbirth, publishing their findings in the world's leading medical journal The Lancet.

21 Dec 2016

Newborns with CMV may have increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia

Newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) -- a common virus in the herpes family -- may have an increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), according to new research published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology. The study suggests the risk is even greater in Hispanic children.

15 Dec 2016

Queen's University expert to lead new €4m initiative for assessing impact of chemicals on health

A Queen's University Belfast expert is leading a €4m international initiative to investigate whether natural toxins and manmade chemicals are creating potentially dangerous mixtures that affect our natural hormones and cause major illnesses such as cancer, obesity, diabetes or infertility.

7 Dec 2016

Brains of people with autism share similar pattern of abnormal gene activity, UCLA study shows

Autism spectrum disorder is caused by a variety of factors, both genetic and environmental.

5 Dec 2016

Study finds link between birth defects and antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy

A joint study conducted by researchers from the universities of Liverpool and Manchester has found a link between birth defects and certain types of epilepsy medication.

29 Nov 2016

Editing preferences of enzymes may play role in infertility and cancer

To "turn off" particular regions of genes or protect them from damage, DNA strands can wrap around small proteins, called histones, keeping out all but the most specialized molecular machinery.

28 Nov 2016

Testing for Lynch syndrome: an interview with Kevin Monahan

Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition which causes about 1,100 cases of bowel cancer and 1,000 other cancers annually in the UK. It is caused by a fault in the mismatch repair gene (MMR) which usually works to prevent cancer.

21 Nov 2016

Scientists create 3-D virtual reality models that may help better visualize unborn babies

Parents may soon be able to watch their unborn babies grow in realistic 3-D immersive visualizations, thanks to new technology that transforms MRI and ultrasound data into a 3-D virtual reality model of a fetus, according to research being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

21 Nov 2016

Researchers create temporal and spatial atlas that plots development of mouse heart

It's not simple, making a heart. In the womb, the organ begins as a tube, sprouts bead-like lumps, folds in on itself and eventually morphs into the more familiar-looking four-chambered structure.

17 Nov 2016

Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure and high temperatures linked to increased SIDS risk

Researchers are a step closer to understanding why cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

16 Nov 2016

Researchers to explore how in-womb exposure to environmental chemicals may affect childhood obesity

Kaiser Permanente researchers have received a major new grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how exposures to environmental chemicals during pregnancy may influence the risk of obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

15 Nov 2016

Long-term weight gain may increase risk of obesity-related cancers

Substantial weight gain over many years increases the risk of obesity-related cancers in men by 50 per cent and in women by almost 20 per cent, according to new research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute's Cancer Conference in Liverpool, today (Monday).

6 Nov 2016