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.

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.

10 Nov 2015

Researchers identify mechanisms underlying postnatal organ maturation

Any expectant mother will tell you that she wants her baby's organs to develop properly in the womb. What she may not realize, however, is that a child's internal organs continue to develop for months and years after birth. This critical period is full of cellular changes that transform the organization and function of most tissues. But the exact mechanisms underlying postnatal organ maturation are still a mystery.

5 Nov 2015

Experts to gather at DOHaD congress to address challenges that impact health of children, adolescents

Over 600 experts from around the world will meet to address the many challenges that currently impact the health of mothers, babies in the womb, infants, children and adolescents at the Society for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease congress, which will be held in Africa for the first time.

5 Nov 2015

Key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them useful in regenerative medicine

A key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them more useful in regenerative medicine, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

31 Oct 2015

Expectant mothers encouraged to eat balanced diet to reduce obesity risk in unborn child

Overweight and obese women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy may be putting their babies at risk of a lifetime of obesity.

28 Oct 2015

UTMB researchers find mechanisms to determine when pregnant women go into labor

During the last few weeks of a woman's pregnancy, many keep an overnight bag ready to go at a moment's notice in case they begin to go into labor. They do this because there is no clear signal that labor is about to begin - before the body makes it abundantly clear that this process has started. Understanding the mechanisms that initiate this process is especially important when treating women at risk of going into labor early.

27 Oct 2015

Women born in summer months are more likely to be healthy adults, suggests new research

Women who were born in the summer are more likely to be healthy adults, suggests new research published in the journal Heliyon.

13 Oct 2015

3D printed model of fetus face helps determine life-threatening airway mass in unborn child

Megan Thompson was about 30 weeks pregnant when an ultrasound showed a walnut-sized lump on her tiny, unborn child's face that could prevent him from breathing after birth.

13 Oct 2015

Low birth weight associated with low levels of social trust in adulthood

How much does your baby weigh? All new parents are familiar with that question. Perhaps their reply is more important than we realize. Birth weight affects how much trust an individual will have in other people in his adult life. Trust, in turn, is the glue that prevents society from falling apart. This phenomenon is at the center of new research from Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Aarhus BSS) at Aarhus University, Denmark.

29 Sep 2015

Light-shielded delivery system for parenteral nutrition may improve survival rate of preemies

The survival rate of preemies born between 26 to 31 weeks of gestation is improved by blocking light from reaching the intravenously-fed infused nutritious mixture they depend on for survival, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and the University of Montreal have revealed in a new study.

28 Sep 2015

SLU participates in Phase III clinical trial to treat early-onset preeclampsia

Saint Louis University is participating in a Phase III clinical trial for a drug to treat early-onset preeclampsia in pregnant women that could increase the length of pregnancy, resulting in improved fetal outcomes and reduced infant mortality.

26 Sep 2015