Prenatal News and Research

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New review explores how stress uniquely affects children

Most research on the health effects of stress focuses on adults, but a new review looks at how stress uniquely affects children.

21 Jan 2026

Evidence shows no autism risk from paracetamol in pregnancy

Evidence from a comprehensive review shows no link between paracetamol in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental issues, supporting its safe use for pain management.

21 Jan 2026

Prenatal wildfire smoke exposure linked to higher autism risk in children

Exposure to wildfire smoke during the final months of pregnancy may raise the risk that a child is later diagnosed with autism, according to a new study led by Tulane University researchers.

20 Jan 2026

Community water fluoridation not associated with changes in birth weight

A new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that community water fluoridation (CWF) is not associated with significant changes in birth weight-a widely accepted indicator of infant health and a predictor of later-life outcomes.

20 Jan 2026

Insulin anxiety and workplace barriers complicate gestational diabetes care

Insulin use in gestational diabetes presents challenges; education and support are key to overcoming fears and ensuring effective self-management for mothers.

20 Jan 2026

PFAS exposure increases gestational diabetes risk

A review of 130 studies links PFAS exposure to gestational diabetes, highlighting the need for further research on diabetes outcomes and environmental factors.

19 Jan 2026

Paracetamol use during pregnancy not linked to autism, ADHD or intellectual disability

Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children.

16 Jan 2026

Study connects adolescent exercise with breast cancer risk biomarkers

Recreational physical activity may be associated with breast tissue composition and biomarkers of stress in adolescent girls, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC).

16 Jan 2026

Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend.

Just hours after Rhonda Swaney left a prenatal appointment for her first pregnancy, she felt severe pain in her stomach and started vomiting.

15 Jan 2026

PFAS exposure linked to gestational diabetes and insulin problems

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of highly persistent environmental chemicals commonly referred to as "forever chemicals," is associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and altered markers of insulin resistance and insulin secretion, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

14 Jan 2026

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and adverse life events during pregnancy affect children's development

Research at Karlstad University shows that exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and adverse life events during pregnancy can influence children's behavior and brain development.

14 Jan 2026

Cannabidiol could become a therapeutic tool for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Cannabidiol (CBD) could become a therapeutic tool to address some of the most frequent and disabling consequences of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a condition caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

14 Jan 2026

New $8.5 million renewal grant fuels research on children's heart health

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai an $8.5 million renewal grant to continue groundbreaking work aimed at understanding and improving long-term outcomes for children with congenital heart disease-the most common type of birth defect in the United States.

7 Jan 2026

RSV prevention: A new era for infant protection

Globally, RSV causes millions of respiratory infections each year and is responsible for a large proportion of hospitalizations and deaths among children under five years, with the highest risk concentrated in infants under six months.

5 Jan 2026

Wasatch Biolabs announces co-marketing agreement with Agilent to advance native-read targeted sequencing

Wasatch BioLabs (WBL), a leader in native, long-read sequencing and epigenomic analysis, today announced a co-marketing agreement with Agilent Technologies to support the adoption of its Direct Targeted Methylation Sequencing (dTMS) platform.

From Wasatch BioLabs 22 Dec 2025

Blood metabolite profiling outperforms BMI in predicting pregnancy complications

This study shows that a blood-based metabolomic signature linked to maternal BMI predicts gestational diabetes and preeclampsia more strongly than BMI alone, particularly in late pregnancy. A subset of 16 metabolites statistically mediates the BMI–gestational diabetes association, highlighting metabolic pathways that may improve prenatal risk stratification.

21 Dec 2025

Prenatal exposure to hot and humid conditions worsens child growth outcomes

The dangers of heat and humidity are so well known it's become cliche to mention them. But the impacts can extend farther than even scientists and doctors realized.

19 Dec 2025

World Health Organization validates Brazil's elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Brazil for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, making it the most populous country in the Americas to achieve this historic milestone.

19 Dec 2025

Rapid HIV viral load testing shows mixed effects on seeking care

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other sources, there are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States, and another 1.2 to 2.2 million who are at highest risk for infection and could benefit from the preventive measure known as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

18 Dec 2025

Study offers a unified biological model to explain the causes of autism

A new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

10 Dec 2025