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.

Small, tablet-sized ultrasound devices may help midwives figure out C-section candidates

Midwives need more than fingers to figure out who the C-section candidates are. Small, tablet-sized ultrasound devices may be the key.

27 Feb 2016

CHLA cardiologists perform rare fetal cardiac intervention procedure

Last August, when Children's Hospital Los Angeles cardiologists confirmed that the heart of a 27-week-old fetus suffered from a critical cardiac condition that prevented blood returning from the fetus's lungs from circulating back into the body, they told the parents that their child faced certain open-heart surgery after birth. Even worse, babies born with this very rare condition—hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with restrictive atrial septum—have a 50 percent neonatal mortality rate.

27 Feb 2016

Fetal alcohol exposure results in permanent fragmentation in slow-wave sleep

Slow-wave sleep - the deeper sleep during which the brain turns each day's events into permanent memories - is fragmented in adulthood in people exposed to high levels of alcohol in the womb.

25 Feb 2016

Babies exposed to air pollution in womb at increased risk of developing asthma

Babies born to mothers exposed to air pollution from traffic during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing asthma before the age of six, according to new UBC research.

10 Feb 2016

Study: Prior surgical abortion appears to increase risk of later preterm birth

Surgical methods used in a common form of abortion or to clear the womb after a spontaneous miscarriage appears to significantly increase the risk of a later preterm birth, say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University who analyzed 36 studies that enrolled more than 1 million women.

4 Feb 2016

Certain viral infections during pregnancy could cause behavioral changes in offspring

A study published in the journal Science found that activation in pregnant mice of a particular immune response, similar to what may occur with certain viral infections during pregnancy, alters the brain structure of the mouse offspring and causes behavioral changes, reminiscent of those observed in humans with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

30 Jan 2016

Using painkillers during pregnancy may harm fertility of daughters

Using painkillers in pregnancy may reduce fertility in subsequent generations, research suggests. Tests in rats found that when a mother was given painkillers during pregnancy, her female offspring had fewer eggs, smaller ovaries and smaller litters of babies than those not exposed to the drugs.

28 Jan 2016

Specific genetic pattern in the womb could predict IVF treatment outcome

Fertility experts in Southampton and the Netherlands have identified a specific genetic pattern in the womb that could predict whether or not IVF treatment is likely to be successful.

25 Jan 2016

IDEAL study holds new hope for children exposed to methamphetamine in the womb

Despite continuing reports that methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy can lead to behavioral and emotional problems in children, pregnant women continue to abuse the illicit drug. Nearly one-fourth of pregnant women seeking treatment at federal facilities were methamphetamine users.

22 Jan 2016

Racial disparity in 'previable' preterm births linked to infant mortality problem

Black women are nearly four times more likely than white women to have a baby born between 16 and 22 weeks gestation, a time period in which the life of a baby outside the womb is not viable.

13 Jan 2016

UA researchers find genetic mutations associated with respiratory disease

Asthma affects more than 278 million people worldwide and can lead to serious consequences later in life. While current approved therapies address symptoms, they do not halt disease progression.

11 Jan 2016

Researchers suggest microorganisms in the womb set stage for health problems later in life

Researchers review importance of microorganisms that exist in the gut, suggesting perturbation of the environment during pregnancy, delivery and early infancy could impact the developing baby's early microbiome and set the stage for health problems later in life. The term "microbiome" refers to the trillions of organisms we harbor, on our skin and within our respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

30 Dec 2015

Premature babies at higher risk of developing autism in later childhood

Extremely premature babies run a much higher risk of developing autism in later childhood, and even during the neonate period differences are seen in the brains of those who do. This according to a new study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden.

22 Dec 2015

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases autism risk

Using antidepressants during pregnancy greatly increases the risk of autism, Professor Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital revealed today. Prof. Bérard, an internationally renowned expert in the fields of pharmaceutical safety during pregnancy, came to her conclusions after reviewing data covering 145,456 pregnancies.

15 Dec 2015

Anastrozole drug effective in treating early form of breast cancer

The drug anastrozole is effective in treating an early form of breast cancer, according to a clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London. The results of the IBIS-II DCIS trial show that anastrozole is as effective as tamoxifen for this type of breast cancer and could offer a new treatment option for post-menopausal women.

12 Dec 2015

Prenatal smoking exposure can potentially affect someone's health for years after birth

New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research finds that blood taken from children up to the age of five contains molecular evidence about whether their mothers smoked during pregnancy.

23 Nov 2015

Prenatal exposure to marijuana improves kids' visual ability

Children exposed to marijuana in the womb show a significant improvement in their ability to track moving objects at age four, according to new vision research. But researchers are warning that the results do not mean marijuana has a benefical effect on foetal development.

22 Nov 2015

Diabetes prevention begins in the womb

60 million people worldwide are living with diabetes mellitus, and one in ten people over the age of 25 will develop the condition (type 2) at some stage in their lives. Globally, around 3.4 million people die from diabetes and its consequences every year. "Every six seconds, somebody somewhere in the world dies from diabetes", says Alexandra Kautzky-Willer from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the MedUni Vienna's University Department of Internal Medicine III.

13 Nov 2015

Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase risk of infections, respiratory symptoms in children

Children born to women who were exposed to higher arsenic during pregnancy have a greater risk of infections and respiratory symptoms within their first year of life, a Dartmouth College-led study shows.

10 Nov 2015

European regulator concludes that evidence does not support a causal relationship between human papillomavirus vaccines and CRPS or POTS

The European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) has completed a detailed scientific review of the evidence surrounding reports of two syndromes, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in young women given human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.