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.

Gestational diabetes poses substantial cognitive dysfunction risks for both mothers and offspring

A new synthesis of global evidence finds that experiencing gestational diabetes during pregnancy is linked with a decline in intellectual function among mothers, and may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

15 Sep 2025

Infection or stressful events during pregnancy may increase anxiety risk in offspring

Increased risk for anxiety may begin before birth, shaped by infection or stressful events during pregnancy, according to a new preclinical study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine.

11 Sep 2025

Study maps gene activity across pregnancy breastfeeding and post-weaning stages

In a study in mice, researchers have identified genes associated with the dramatic transformation of the mammary gland in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and after breastfeeding as it returns to its resting state.

9 Sep 2025

Research on marmosets sheds light on how babies learn to talk

When a baby babbles and their parents respond, these back-and-forth exchanges are more than adorable-if-incoherent chatter - they help to build a baby's emerging language skills.

4 Sep 2025

Study finds minimal risk of second cancer in breast cancer survivors

For women diagnosed with early breast cancer, the long-term risk of developing a second primary cancer is low (around 2-3% greater than women in the general population), finds a study published by The BMJ today.

28 Aug 2025

Experts warn against unnecessary menopause testing and treatments

Many direct to consumer menopause services are unnecessary and do not improve care, warn experts in The BMJ today.

20 Aug 2025

Microbes found to play a key role in shaping early brain development

New research from Michigan State University finds that microbes play an important role in shaping early brain development, specifically in a key brain region that controls stress, social behavior, and vital body functions.

13 Aug 2025

Mother’s genetics may play an important role in influencing her child's weight

A mother's genetics may play a bigger role in determining whether a child becomes overweight than a father's, as a result of a concept known as genetic nurture, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

5 Aug 2025

Children’s obesity often traced back to parental genes

A new study finds that kids with obesity are more likely to have obese parents because they inherit obesity-related genes, and to a smaller extent, are impacted indirectly by genes carried by the mother – even when those genes aren't passed down.

5 Aug 2025

Experts call for stricter rules on plastic to protect human health

With the latest round of negotiations to finalize a United Nations global plastics treaty set to begin, a group of international researchers, writing in the most recent edition of The Lancet, have called for greater vigilance and regulation to curb the health impacts of plastic pollution and have announced a new project to track these impacts.

4 Aug 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

Training boosts skin-to-skin contact between parents and newborns

Targeted training interventions for both health professionals and parents significantly increase the amount of skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their parents in the first 48 hours after birth. The proportion of babies who received nearly 24 hours of skin contact over the first 24 hours increased from 33 per cent to 58 per cent.

8 Jul 2025

New insights into nature's most remarkable innovation- the ability to sustain a successful pregnancy

An international research team led by scientists from the University of Vienna has uncovered new insights into how specialized cell types and communication networks at the interface between mother and fetus evolved over millions of years.

4 Jul 2025

Women with endometriosis-associated infertility are more likely to become pregnant, study reveals

A landmark 30-year study of over four million women in England has revealed that women with endometriosis-associated infertility are significantly more likely to become pregnant compared to those with infertility from other causes.

2 Jul 2025

Placenta and prenatal hormones may drive human brain evolution

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioral traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

20 Jun 2025