Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Exploring UK teenagers' concerns about future parenthood and their reproductive health education

Nearly half of teenagers are worried about having children and many lack knowledge about their reproductive health, find two new studies by UCL researchers.

12 Feb 2024

Hormonal steroids could make gonorrhea untreatable

You know that package warning that oral birth control won't prevent STIs? Well in the case of gonorrhea, the sexually transmitted bacterium that causes the disease can use those hormones to help it resist antibiotic attacks.

8 Feb 2024

Doppler ultrasound detects placental issues in small babies, study finds

A Doppler ultrasound that measures the blood flow of small unborn babies can reveal whether or not the placenta is working properly. In case of repeated deviations from these Doppler measurements, additional monitoring of the unborn baby is necessary.

5 Feb 2024

Genetic link found to emotional sensitivity in stressful situations

situations, suggesting individuals with the A allele may experience increased social sensitivity but struggle with negative interpersonal outcomes.

4 Feb 2024

Study links social inequality to lower pain relief during labor

In a study of women in labor in the U. S., social inequity was associated with lower use of neuraxial analgesia -- an epidural or spinal pain reliever-- among non-Hispanic White women and, to a greater extent, among African American women, according to research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S).

2 Feb 2024

Elevated cortisol in pregnant women with depression linked to preterm birth, low birth weight

Women with depressive symptoms during pregnancy may experience an alteration in the circadian rhythm of cortisol — a hormone that is necessary for fetal development — which could affect the course of pregnancy.

1 Feb 2024

Specialist support helps new moms with severe mental illness reduce relapse risk

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, and in partnership with the University of Exeter and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has found that women with a history of severe mental illness face a lower risk of relapse after giving birth in regions where they have access to a community perinatal mental health team (CPMHT).

23 Jan 2024

Women and minorities bear the brunt of medical misdiagnosis

Charity Watkins sensed something was deeply wrong when she experienced exhaustion after her daughter was born.

18 Jan 2024

UK's maternal mortality rate hits 20-year high

The latest set of data presented by the MBRRACE-UK Collaboration investigation into maternal deaths in the UK shows that the mortality rate for women who died during or soon after pregnancy has increased to levels not seen since 2003-05.

11 Jan 2024

Women with perinatal depression have an elevated mortality risk

Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports.

10 Jan 2024

Study reveals bidirectional association between autoimmune disease and perinatal depression

Women with autoimmune disease are more likely to suffer from depression during pregnancy and after childbirth; conversely, women with a history of perinatal depression are at higher risk of developing autoimmune disease, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reports.

8 Jan 2024

Age plays a critical role in the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease, study reveals

New research by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences published in Blood journal has revealed that the age at which individuals are tested for von Willebrand disease (VWD), a common bleeding disorder, significantly affects their diagnosis.

8 Jan 2024

Is screen time really to blame for poor drawing skills in kids?

Study found that the link between screen viewing and drawing ability in young French children is influenced by socioeconomic factors, rather than a direct causal relationship between screen time and cognitive development.

4 Jan 2024

New doula benefit ‘life-changing’ for California mom

When Mia Bloomer found out she was pregnant with her fourth child, she wanted a different birth experience. She wanted to feel empowered, informed, and heard — elements she found lacking during her earlier births.

19 Dec 2023

Maternal microbiome's pivotal role in shaping fetal and neonatal immune systems during pregnancy

Review in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology explores how the maternal microbiome during pregnancy influences the immune systems of the mother, fetus, and neonate, highlighting its impact on long-term health outcomes and the development of pregnancy complications.

18 Dec 2023

COVID-19 significantly raises risk of severe complications in pregnant women

Study found that pregnant mothers with COVID-19 face a significantly higher risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM), including adult respiratory distress syndrome and acute renal failure, emphasizing the urgent need for their early diagnosis and treatment.

10 Dec 2023