Prenatal News and Research

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Risk of caesarean reduced by healthy diet and physical activity during pregnancy, study finds

A new study published by The BMJ, on 19th July 2017, states that encouraging healthy diets and physical activity during pregnancy can restrict excess gain of weight as well as reduce the chance of having caesarean sections.

20 Jul 2017

Study seeks to understand genetic synergy in cleft palate

Like all of the individual elements of fetal development, palate growth is a marvel of nature. In part of this process, ledges of tissue on the sides of the face grow downwards on each side of the tongue, then upward, fusing at the midline at the top of the mouth.

19 Jul 2017

Mutations arising after conception may play vital role in autism

A study of nearly 6,000 families, combining three genetic sequencing technologies, finds that mutations that occur after conception play an important role in autism.

17 Jul 2017

Zika virus affecting teenage mothers in Brazil

Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes is affecting scores of teenage girls in the latest Brazilian Zika outbreak. The consequences of this could be serious say experts

14 Jul 2017

Researchers discover basic genetic mechanism that causes congenital myotonic dystrophy

For years, the underlying process that causes a debilitating muscle disorder in infants and young children has been largely unknown.

11 Jul 2017

Neuroscientists discover how prenatal alcohol exposure increases risk for drug addiction later in life

One of the many negative consequences, when fetuses are exposed to alcohol in the womb, is an increased risk for drug addiction later in life.

10 Jul 2017

Maternal consumption of alcohol could produce transgenerational effects

Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning - don't drink while pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued numerous statements about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as it can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in newborns.

7 Jul 2017

U.S. teen birth rates show heartening declines

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics has released data for births in 2016 and has come up with some heartening trends. Teenage girls giving birth for example has dropped by 67% in 1997. The reports show that birth rates among teenagers between 15 and 19 years have declined by 51% since 2007. The data comes from analysis of majority (99.96%) of births as of February 16, 2017. The report published last Friday shows that since the year before teenage girls giving birth has dropped by 9%.

2 Jul 2017

New LA BioMed study offers answers for why acupuncture may help people with chronic pain

The use of acupuncture to treat pain dates back to the earliest recorded history in China. Despite centuries of acupuncture, it's still not clear why this method of applying and stimulating tiny needles at certain points on the body can relieve pain.

30 Jun 2017

Premature infants have greater risk of SIDS than full-term babies

Premature infants still have a greater risk compared to full-term babies of dying of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths despite recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics that hospital NICU's provide more safe infant sleep education to parents before they go home.

27 Jun 2017

Combined effect of genetic change and ozone exposure could increase risk for autism

A new analysis shows that individuals with high levels of genetic variation and elevated exposure to ozone in the environment are at an even higher risk for developing autism than would be expected by adding the two risk factors together.

23 Jun 2017

Prenatal exposure to pain-relieving drug can impair development of male behavior

Paracetamol is popular for relieving pain. But if you are pregnant, you should think twice before popping these pills according to the researchers in a new study.

22 Jun 2017

Study finds link between common household chemicals and birth defects in mice

A new study at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech has found a connection between common household chemicals and birth defects.

16 Jun 2017

Study finds direct link between birth outcomes and placental oxygen transport

When a baby is born small, it's often attributed to genetic factors or maternal risk factors like poor nutrition or smoking.

16 Jun 2017

Twin girls joined at the head separated successfully by team of doctors at CHOP

Twins girls Abby and Erin Delaney are 10 months old and were conjoined at their head until an 11 hour separation surgery last week at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in south eastern Pennsylvania.

14 Jun 2017

Researchers explore impact of hair products on breast cancer risk

Can use of hair products have an impact on breast cancer risk for women? That is a question explored by Rutgers University investigators – and colleagues from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and Moffitt Cancer Center.

14 Jun 2017

Decrease in diversity of vaginal microbes linked to preterm birth

More than 10 percent of babies in the United States are born prematurely, yet very little is know about the underlying causes. Vaginal infections long have been thought to be related to preterm birth, prompting researchers to look at the mix of microbes in the vagina during pregnancy.

13 Jun 2017

Study makes recommendations on how to reduce Africa's child mortality rates

Giving birth at home is the most significant risk factor for neonatal deaths in major sections of Africa - a continent that continues to be plagued by the highest neonatal mortality rates in the world, indicates a new study by Michigan State University scholars.

1 Jun 2017

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Stress affects the body and can trigger illness -- from psychiatric disorders to heart disease. Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life -- as children, in adolescence, and in old age. But when is the impact of stress on our systems most powerful? Many researchers maintain that the critical effect occurs prenatally, inside the womb.

1 Jun 2017

Phthalate exposure linked to depressed thyroid function in young girls

Early childhood exposures to specific phthalates were associated with depressed thyroid function in girls at age 3, according to scientists at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Phthalates, a class of chemicals thought to disrupt the endocrine system, are widely used in consumer products from plastic toys to household building materials to shampoos.

30 May 2017