Womb News and Research

RSS

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.

Study implicates placental protein as a possible regulator of an infant’s birthweight

New findings from the University of Minnesota Medical School are helping uncover why some people are more likely to be overweight and develop Type 2 diabetes -- and it starts in the womb.

10 Jun 2021

Study shows that breast cancer can be prevented with better contraception choices

Hormonal contraceptives, e.g. the pill, the patch, and the vaginal ring, contain synthetic hormones that prevent pregnancy by either stopping ovulation, changing the cervical mucus to stop sperm from passing through the cervix and finding an egg, or changing the womb's lining to prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted in it.

29 May 2021

Study uses advances in medical imaging to visualize white matter pathways in fetuses

Researchers from the £12 million Developing Human Connectome Project have used the dramatic advances in medical imaging the project has provided to visualize and study white matter pathways, the wiring that connects developing brain networks, in the human brain as it develops in the womb.

12 May 2021

Previously overlooked hormone plays critical role in the development of endometriosis

Endometriosis, a disease found in up to 10 per cent of women, has been enigmatic since it was first described. A new theory developed by researchers at Simon Fraser University suggests a previously overlooked hormone -- testosterone -- has a critical role in its development.

10 May 2021

WVU study examines the effects of vaping during pregnancy

Spurred by unproven assumptions that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes, a team at West Virginia University is conducting a three-year study on the effects of vaping during pregnancy.

7 May 2021

3D-printed fetus models allow surgeons to identify potential obstacles, reduce risks of surgery

A state-of-the-art in-utero procedure allows surgeons to correct a birth defect on developing babies inside the womb. But operating on a mother and her unborn child at the same time can be challenging and unpredictable.

7 May 2021

Scientists uncover an important clue to the conundrum of mother-to-child HIV transmission

Each year over 150,000 infants worldwide are infected with HIV in the womb, at birth, or through breastfeeding.

26 Apr 2021

Research could inform therapeutic approaches to ameliorate the effects of fetal immobility

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that some skeletal defects associated with a lack of movement in the womb during early development may still be ameliorated after such periods of immobility if movement resumes.

23 Apr 2021

Study reports on safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnancy

Researchers used different surveillance systems in the United States to track adverse outcomes after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in pregnant people and found no major safety flags.

23 Apr 2021

Antidepressant exposure in the womb may increase offspring's risk of affective disorders

Major depressive disorder is highly prevalent, with one in five people experiencing an episode at some point in their life, and is almost twice as common in women than in men.

12 Apr 2021

Toward a transformative therapy for sickle cell patients

For the millions of people worldwide who have sickle cell disease, there are only a few treatment options, which include risky bone marrow transplants, gene therapy or other treatments that address a subset of symptoms.

9 Apr 2021

Stem cell depletion could be an important factor behind miscarriage

Depletion of a certain type of stem cell in the womb lining during pregnancy could be a significant factor behind miscarriage, according to a study released today in STEM CELLS.

27 Mar 2021

Researchers produce a detailed molecular atlas of lung development

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have produced a detailed molecular atlas of lung development, which is expected to be a fundamental reference in future studies of mammalian biology and of new treatments for diseases, such as COVID-19, that affect the lungs.

24 Mar 2021

Study confirms that higher level of maternal folate increases the child’s birthweight

Imagine that you are going to conduct research on how different factors affect a child in the womb. Bad habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol or poor eating habits are factors that may affect the child.

18 Mar 2021

New method for growing embryos outside the womb

To observe how a tiny ball of identical cells on its way to becoming a mammalian embryo first attaches to an awaiting uterine wall and then develops into nervous system, heart, stomach and limbs: This has been a highly-sought grail in the field of embryonic development for nearly 100 years.

17 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

Probiotic supplements increase the diversity of intestinal bacteria in extremely preterm infants

Extremely preterm infants can suffer from a life-threatening inflammation of the gut. A new clinical study has shown that supplements of a lactic acid bacterium may have positive effects by increasing the diversity of intestinal bacteria in these infants.