Prenatal News and Research

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As marijuana laws relax, doctors say pregnant women shouldn’t partake

Two-year-old Maverick Hawkins sits on a red, plastic car in his grandmother’s living room in the picturesque town of Nevada City, Calif., in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. His playpal Delilah Smith, a fellow 2-year-old, snacks on hummus and cashews and delights over the sounds of her Princess Peppa Pig stuffie.

31 Jan 2018

Comprehensive new guideline for management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in children

For babies diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a comprehensive new guideline in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) aims to provide guidance to physicians in diagnosing and managing the condition from the time a diagnosis is made during pregnancy through the teen years.

29 Jan 2018

Valproic acid exposure results in characteristics linked to autism, zebrafish study shows

Exposure to a compound used to treat migraines and seizures causes characteristics associated with autism, groundbreaking research with zebrafish has demonstrated.

24 Jan 2018

NIH launches large study to compare treatments for pregnant women with HIV

The National Institutes of Health has launched a large international study to compare the safety and efficacy of three antiretroviral treatment regimens for pregnant women living with HIV and the safety of these regimens for their infants.

24 Jan 2018

Increased rate of language delay in girls linked to acetaminophen use by mothers during pregnancy

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found an elevated rate of language delay in girls at 30 months old born to mothers who used acetaminophen during pregnancy, but not in boys.

10 Jan 2018

Adequate intake of choline during pregnancy could provide cognitive benefits for offspring

When expectant mothers consume sufficient amounts of the nutrient choline during pregnancy, their offspring gain enduring cognitive benefits, a new Cornell University study suggests.

4 Jan 2018

Medicaid expansions for low-income parents can lead to expanded use of prenatal care

The Medicaid expansions for low-income parents that took place in 34 states between 1996 and 2011 led to a 2.3 percent decrease in the uninsured rate among women who already had a child and became pregnant again, and a 7.9 percent decrease in the number of mothers who didn't have insurance while they were pregnant.

28 Dec 2017

Research finds rise in number of New Hampshire infants diagnosed with NAS

From 2005 to 2015 the number of infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the Granite State increased fivefold, from 52 to 269, according to new research by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

19 Dec 2017

Hospital-based behavioral intervention promotes better sleep in high-risk pregnant women

A study shows that a hospital-based behavioral intervention protocol including components of sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioral therapy successfully improved sleep in women who were hospitalized for a high-risk pregnancy.

18 Dec 2017

Higher blood sugar during first trimester of pregnancy increases child's risk of congenital heart defect

Higher blood sugar early in pregnancy raises the baby's risk of a congenital heart defect, even among mothers who do not have diabetes, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

15 Dec 2017

Experts call for rigorous clinical trials in use of experimental fetal therapy

Citing uncertainties about the risks and benefits of an experimental therapy for fetuses whose kidneys do not develop, bioethicists at Johns Hopkins and a team of medical experts are calling for rigorous clinical trials in the use of a potential treatment, known as amnioinfusion.

12 Dec 2017

Prenatal and early-life consumption of sugary drinks may increase risk of mid-childhood asthma

Children between the ages of 7 and 9 may be at greater risk for developing asthma if they consumed high amounts of fructose in early childhood or their mothers drank a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages while pregnant, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

8 Dec 2017

Study identifies mechanism that could explain early link between sound input and cognitive function

Some expectant parents play classical music for their unborn babies, hoping to boost their children's cognitive capacity. While some research supports a link between prenatal sound exposure and improved brain function, scientists had not identified any structures responsible for this link in the developing brain.

7 Dec 2017

Traffic pollution linked to low birth weight of unborn babies, study reveals

A new study published yesterday by The BMJ states that air pollution caused by road traffic in London has a harmful impact on babies’ health while still in the womb.

6 Dec 2017

Newborn screening for SMA favored by most people, study finds

Research from the University of Warwick indicates that most people are in favor of newborn screening for the potentially deadly condition spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

6 Dec 2017

WHO certifies elimination of mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmission in six Caribbean territories

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis were today certified by the World Health Organization as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

5 Dec 2017

Wonder Woman of preconception care

Health care might have found its Wonder Woman. She can identify health risks in young African-American women and help them successfully resolve those risks.

30 Nov 2017

Prenatal maternal stress affects size of the baby, study finds

A new study has been published that suggests babies are physically affected by the stress level of their mother during pregnancy. It has been previously found that adversity in the womb enhances or hampers offspring development and performance.

29 Nov 2017

Nurses join hands with families for improving community health care

The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing has received more than $1.7 million in philanthropic grants from a number of community partners to bring a Nurse-Family Partnership® program to Jefferson County.

8 Nov 2017

Increasing prevalence of chronic conditions linked to adverse health outcomes for moms and newborns

Pregnant women today are more likely to have chronic conditions that could cause life-threatening complications than at any other time in the past decade – particularly poor women and those living in rural communities, a new Michigan Medicine study suggests.