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.

Ancient proteins revived to inspire new antimicrobial treatments

University of Oregon biologists have resurrected prehistoric proteins up to 160 million years old that carry natural antimicrobial properties.

25 Aug 2026

Multiple long-term conditions raise pregnancy risks, study finds

Women who begin pregnancy with two or more pre-existing, long-term physical or mental health conditions have 20% higher risk of miscarriage, 69% higher risk of severe nausea and vomiting, and around four times the risk of anxiety and depression, compared with those with no long-term conditions.

18 Aug 2026

Study shows how the immune system behaves throughout pregnancy

New research shows how the immune system actually behaves throughout pregnancy – cell by cell. In women with lupus, the immunological differences also persist after birth.

14 Aug 2026

England sees rising hospital admissions for ectopic pregnancy since 2021

University of Liverpool researchers have identified that hospital admissions in England for ectopic pregnancy (when a fertilized egg implants outside the womb) have been increasing since 2021, with more than twice as many admissions of women from most deprived areas than the least deprived areas.

29 Jul 2026

Trial offers hope for babies with fetal kidney failure

Women diagnosed early in pregnancy with a fetus lacking adequate kidney function to make the urine that serves as vital amniotic fluid have long faced virtually no chance of their fetus's survival after birth.

8 Jul 2026

Dominant hand excels through practice rather than brain advantage

Why is a person's dominant hand so much better at writing, throwing or using tools? A new study from UCLA Health researchers suggests the answer isn't a hardwired brain advantage - the dominant hand has simply had more practice.

8 Jul 2026

Customized fetal growth charts could reduce avoidable stillbirths across the NHS

One-size-fits-all fetal growth charts used in the NHS to monitor babies' growth before birth often misclassify babies as being either too small or too large, which can lead to missed cases at risk of stillbirth or unnecessary interventions, finds a study of over 3 million NHS births across England published by The BMJ today.

8 Jul 2026

Early skin-to-skin contact helps calm newborns but does not lower bilirubin

Early skin-to-skin contact after vaginal birth reduced newborn stress during routine vitamin K injection and improved exclusive breastfeeding rates by day 5. However, it did not significantly lower day-5 bilirubin levels, leaving its effect on neonatal jaundice uncertain.

7 Jul 2026

Blood hormone signature could transform endometriosis diagnosis

People with endometriosis have a distinct pattern of hormones which could be identified by a blood test, with the potential to revolutionise diagnosis of the condition, research suggests.

6 Jul 2026

Maternal weight shifts microbiota signaling in the fetal environment

A study conducted at the University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital suggests that factors related to maternal weight are reflected in signaling particles produced by the maternal microbiota not only in the gut but also in amniotic fluid.

15 Jun 2026

Pregnancy-related disorders may shape offspring heart health into adulthood

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy may lead to lasting cardiovascular issues in offspring, highlighting the need for improved maternal health strategies.

19 May 2026

Maternal insulin resistance linked to higher abdominal fat in girls

Girls born to mothers with higher insulin resistance during the third trimester are more likely to have more abdominal fat at age 7, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

12 May 2026

Prenatal progesterone exposure alters brain development genes in male fetuses

Excessive exposure to progesterone in the womb can alter a gene in the frontal cortex in male sheep fetuses, which is needed for brain development and function, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.

11 May 2026

Groundbreaking study explores prenatal drug therapy for osteogenesis imperfecta

Shriners Children's St. Louis is proud to announce that one of its lead researchers, Dr. Arin Oestreich, has been awarded a $3.1 million R01 grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

5 May 2026

Rising bowel and ovarian cancer rates in younger adults raise new concerns

Cases of several cancers are rising in England among both younger and older adults, but rates of bowel and ovarian cancer are rising only among younger adults (under 50s), finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Oncology.

28 Apr 2026

Prenatal air pollution exposure linked to delayed toddler development

Babies exposed to high amounts of air pollution in the womb show slower signs of development at 18 months than those exposed to lower levels.

28 Apr 2026

New blood filtering treatment safely extends pregnancy in severe preeclampsia

Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators have developed and successfully tested a new treatment for pregnant women with severe early preeclampsia, a leading cause of premature birth as well as maternal and fetal death.

27 Apr 2026

Clinical study confirms women's symptoms are de-prioritized in healthcare

Women have described being dismissed, disbelieved and left in serious pain during a routine womb examination that affects tens of thousands every year.

21 Apr 2026

Newborns carry antibiotic resistance genes within first hours of life

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) – segments of DNA that help bacteria survive the effects of antibiotics – can be present in newborns within the first hours of life, according to research presented at ESCMID Global 2026.

20 Apr 2026

Prenatal opioid exposure shows minimal effect on later academic performance

Every 25 minutes in the United States, a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that occurs in newborns who have been exposed to opioids in the womb and develop withdrawal after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

13 Apr 2026