Prenatal News and Research

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COVID-19 has increased stress levels in the U.S pregnant women

COVID-19 has created new problems for pregnant women in the United States, a group that already faced the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world even before the pandemic.

17 Mar 2021

Scientists explore the negative effects of prenatal stress on offspring mental health

The link between psychological stress and physical health problems generally relates to a stress-induced immune response gone wild, with inflammation then causing damage to other systems in the body. It's a predictable cascade - except in pregnancy, research suggests.

16 Mar 2021

Study shows evidence-based interventions can improve infant brain health

In the world of neurodevelopment, one thing is clear: the earlier the intervention the better. Infancy is a critical time in brain development, and neuroscientists are increasingly identifying factors that can negatively impact cognition and ones that can improve cognition early in life.

15 Mar 2021

Maternal pomegranate juice intake may reduce risk of brain injury in IUGR infants

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is common and concerning, but few therapeutic options exist for pregnant mothers who receive this diagnosis.

11 Mar 2021

Study: COVID-19 pandemic can affect mothers and infants through immune pathways

If past natural disasters have taught us anything about their effects on pregnant women and developing babies, it is to pay close attention, for the added stress will surely have an impact on them.

10 Mar 2021

Study shows persistence of marijuana THC in breast milk for six weeks

In a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Children's Hospital Colorado have found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, stays in breast milk for up to six weeks.

8 Mar 2021

Loss of functions in the PLD1 gene causes congenital heart disease

A team of researchers co-led by Michael Frohman, MD, PhD, of Stony Brook University, has identified an important cause of congenital heart disease.

2 Mar 2021

Extreme rainfall associated with climate change in Amazonia causes adverse birth outcomes

Extreme rainfall associated with climate change is causing harm to babies in some of the most forgotten places on the planet setting in motion a chain of disadvantage down the generations, according to new research in Nature Sustainability.

1 Mar 2021

MicroRNAs predict heart and kidney health in children without disease

Molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) that are measurable in urine have been identified by researchers at Mount Sinai as predictors of both heart and kidney health in children without disease.

27 Feb 2021

Sheep model may help address fertility problems in women

A Texas A&M AgriLife study with sheep may soon help address fertility problems in women, if it can discover ways to break the chain of generational transfer of polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS -- one of the most common infertility disorders.

23 Feb 2021

New rodent model helps identify pregnant women whose prior kidney injury also affects babies

Young pregnant women, who appear to have fully recovered from an acute injury that reduced their kidney function, have higher rates of significant problems like preeclampsia and low birthweight babies, problems which indicate their kidneys have not actually fully recovered.

22 Feb 2021

New method uses DNA biomarkers to flag prenatal environmental exposures in children

Scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health developed a method using a DNA biomarker to easily screen pregnant women for harmful prenatal environmental contaminants like air pollution linked to childhood illness and developmental disorders.

17 Feb 2021

Study finds high COVID-19 infection rates in pregnant women

The COVID-19 infection rate among pregnant women was estimated to be 70% higher than in similarly aged adults in Washington state, according to a new study published today in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

16 Feb 2021

Research shows link between puberty testosterone levels and the brain’s response to faces

Young men with lower testosterone levels throughout puberty become more sensitive to how the hormone influences the brain’s responses to faces in adulthood, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

12 Feb 2021

New research examines how alcohol exposure impacts aspects of neuroplasticity

New research and analysis examine how alcohol exposure impacts many aspects of neuroplasticity in a special issue of Brain Plasticity

11 Feb 2021

A new approach for detecting and treating two rare pediatric diseases before birth

Scientists have devised a new approach for detecting and potentially heading off the effects of two rare pediatric diseases before birth.

9 Feb 2021

Updated spina bifida guidelines cover care across the entire lifespan

Globally, nearly 300,000 babies are born with neural tube defects including spina bifida (SB) each year.

9 Feb 2021

Study implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis in the development of ASDs

A new study of autism risk genes by UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley scientists implicates disruption in prenatal neurogenesis - a process in which specialized "progenitor" cells give rise to new brain cells - in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

8 Feb 2021

Comprehensive study on prenatal causes of kidney disease in adults

A research group from Inselspital, Universitätsspital Bern and the University of Bern has published a comprehensive study on prenatal causes of kidney disease in adults in "Nature Communications".

3 Feb 2021

Genetic changes linked to neurodevelopmental disabilities, cerebral palsy

Researchers have discovered a strong link between genetic changes known to cause neurodevelopmental disabilities and cerebral palsy.

2 Feb 2021