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.

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

Study links gestational hypertension to increased seizure risk in offspring

A new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care has revealed a significant association between high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension) and an increased risk of seizures in children.

16 Jun 2025

Early signs of breastfeeding failures after premature birth

A study on breastfeeding after premature birth identifies key factors affecting milk composition and volume, emphasizing the need for early support for mothers.

10 Jun 2025

Lynch syndrome testing often missed in womb cancer patients

Patients with womb cancer are not being tested for a genetic condition that increases their chance of developing further cancers, a study has found.

9 Jun 2025

Wilms tumor found to contain millions of genetic changes

Researchers have uncovered that some childhood cancers have a substantially higher number of DNA changes than previously thought, changing the way we view children's tumours and possibly opening up new or repurposed treatment options.

29 May 2025

Blood cell-free RNA signatures can predict preterm birth months in advance

Children born before 37 weeks of gestation have a considerably increased risk of dying before they reach the age of five.

25 May 2025

USPSTF urges universal syphilis screening in pregnancy to prevent congenital infections

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirms its recommendation for universal syphilis screening in pregnancy, citing strong evidence for early detection and prevention of congenital syphilis. Despite ongoing disparities and rising rates, early screening and treatment remain essential to improving outcomes for mothers and infants.

18 May 2025

Maternal testosterone levels shape boys' activity and girls' strength by age 7

Boys born to mothers with PCOS or high third-trimester testosterone levels are less physically active at age 7, particularly on weekends. Girls exposed to high prenatal testosterone show reduced muscle strength but not lower activity levels.

10 May 2025

Annual blood test could detect cancer earlier and save lives

A single blood test, designed to pick up chemical signals indicative of the presence of many different types of cancer, could potentially thwart progression to advanced disease while the malignancy is still at an early stage and amenable to treatment in up to half of cases, suggests a modelling study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

8 May 2025

EULAR updates recommendations for antirheumatic drugs during reproduction and pregnancy

In 2016, EULAR - The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology - published points-to-consider on the use of antirheumatic drugs in reproduction, pregnancy, and lactation.

8 May 2025

Endometriosis raises the risk of premature menopause in women

Women who suffer from endometriosis have an increased risk of premature and early menopause, both naturally and surgically, University of Queensland researchers have found.

30 Apr 2025

UCLA launches trial of wearable ADHD therapy for children exposed to alcohol in the womb

Researchers at UCLA Health are launching the first clinical trial to test whether a wearable device that delivers gentle nerve stimulation during sleep could ease ADHD symptoms in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

22 Apr 2025

Oklahoma Children's Hospital improves care for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome

In years past, health care providers took a punitive stance toward women giving birth to babies exposed to substances like opioids in the womb.

9 Apr 2025

Twins begin pregnancy smaller than singletons earlier than expected

Twins—smaller at birth, on average, than singletons—start out smaller in pregnancy than was previously known, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

7 Apr 2025

Study shows women can hear better than men

An international team of scientists has found that biological sex is the leading factor explaining differences in hearing sensitivity, with women having significantly more sensitive hearing than men.

From University of Bath 1 Apr 2025

Drinking diet drinks in pregnancy raises overweight risk in children, study finds

Daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) during pregnancy was linked to a modest but consistent increase in overweight risk in offspring from age 7 to 18. Surprisingly, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) were associated with a lower risk, though lifestyle differences may explain this.

25 Mar 2025