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.

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

New gene mutation linked to fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies

Scientists have discovered a new gene mutation that causes potentially fatal swelling in unborn and newborn babies. Identifying the gene is the first step toward a future diagnostic test and targeted treatment for this condition.

23 Sep 2015

Female mice exposed to endocrine disruptors may show decreased metabolism, physical activity in offspring

Endocrine disruptors are contaminants that interfere with endocrine or hormone systems and can cause tumors, birth defects and developmental disorders in mammals. Often, these contaminants are used in a variety of consumer products, such as water bottles, dental composites and resins used to line metal food and beverage containers.

22 Sep 2015

Fetuses with enlarged ventricles are not ideal candidates for fetal spina bifida surgery

Fetuses with enlarged ventricles--the fluid-filled cavities inside the brain--may be less likely than other fetuses to benefit from surgery in the womb to treat spina bifida, according to a study co-authored by researchers at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

16 Sep 2015

Research: Cancer preventative surgery may not be necessary in the future

Surgery to remove the breasts of women at increased risk of developing breast cancer may not be necessary in the future, according to research published in EBioMedicine. Two new studies looking at the effect the menstrual cycle has on the development of breast and ovarian cancer reveal alternative prevention strategies that may render surgery unnecessary.

11 Sep 2015

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned.

29 Aug 2015

Pre-birth arsenic exposure associated with early puberty, obesity in mice

Female mice exposed in utero, or in the womb, to low levels of arsenic through drinking water displayed signs of early puberty and became obese as adults, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health.

27 Aug 2015

PHIV children may lack immunity against measles, mumps, and rubella despite vaccination

Between one-third and one-half of individuals in the United States who were infected with HIV around the time of birth may not have sufficient immunity to ward off measles, mumps, and rubella--even though they may have been vaccinated against these diseases.

14 Aug 2015

Oral contraceptives give long-term protection against endometrial cancer, shows study

Use of oral contraceptives, even for just a few years, gives substantial long-term protection against endometrial cancer, and the longer the pill is used the greater the reduction in risk, according to a detailed re-analysis of all the available evidence, published in The Lancet Oncology journal.

5 Aug 2015

Adults born very premature display socially withdrawn personality

New research indicates that adults born very premature are more likely to be socially withdrawn and display signs of autism.

24 Jul 2015

Duke study finds that gut worms can protect babies' brains from chronic inflammation

A Duke University study in rats finds that gut worms can protect babies' brains from long-term learning and memory problems caused by newborn infections.

21 Jul 2015