Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Vaporized cannabis increases drug-seeking behavior, study shows

Rats with regular access to cannabis seek more of the substance and tend to show increased drug-seeking behavior when cannabis is absent.

24 Mar 2020

Call to consider labor after previous Cesarean birth

A new study published in the journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth in March 2020 shows that labor proceeds successfully in more than 90% of cases and should be considered a reasonable option for mother and baby.

23 Mar 2020

Autism rates reducing among wealthy whites, while ticking up among poor, ethnic minorities

Wealthy, white California counties--once considered the nation's hotbeds for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)--have seen prevalence flatten or fall in the last two decades, while rates among poor whites and minorities keep ticking up, new CU Boulder research has found.

22 Mar 2020

Drug from scorpion venom could offer hope for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

A research team led by Children's National Hospital faculty was able to "rescue" a pre-clinical model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in juvenile models, reversing motor skill deficits with the help of a novel drug derived from scorpion venom.

18 Mar 2020

Pregnancy rate more than doubled with online program for infertile women

A new study published in March 2020 in the journal PLOS ONE reports that the online version of a well-respected program that counsels infertile women achieved the same level of success as the person-to-person equivalent. This was true about both the reduction in emotional distress and the increase in pregnancy rates.

18 Mar 2020

Research shows increased kidney injury risks for hospitalized pregnant women

New research from the University of Cincinnati shows an increased rate of sudden episodes of kidney failure or damage in women who are hospitalized during pregnancy.

18 Mar 2020

Female veterans with PTSD more likely to suffer from ischemic heart disease

Female veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder were substantially more likely to have ischemic heart disease than those without PTSD in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology.

18 Mar 2020

Having a low birthweight baby may be an independent risk factor for early heart failure

It's normal for expectant parents to worry about how well their baby is developing and growing. But could a newborn's birthweight serve as a red flag for risks to mom's future health, too?

18 Mar 2020

Who should stay at home due to coronavirus?

COVID-19 is a spreading viral illness, mostly mild but fatal in the sick and elderly. At present, it has affected almost 200,000 people, with nearly 8,000 deaths worldwide. Governments around the world are formulating and executing new guidelines to control the spread of the virus. In the latest guidelines, pregnant women join the list of individuals who must stay away from all social contact for 12 weeks to limit the spread of the virus and deaths due to the illness.

17 Mar 2020

Researchers identify genetic signature linked to higher risk of preeclampsia

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have identified a genetic signature combining certain maternal and fetal gene variants that are associated with a higher risk of preeclampsia.

17 Mar 2020

Study examines e-cigarette use by women during preconception and/or pregnancy

A new study of 1,365 racially/ethnically diverse, low-income pregnant women found that 4% reported e-cigarette use.

16 Mar 2020

Eating fish 1-3 times a week in pregnancy beneficial for the child

Pregnancy is a time when the mother’s diet becomes essential not only for reasons of proper nutrition but to avoid harm to or enhance the development of the child. Now a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open in March 2020 shows that mothers who ate one to three servings of fish a week while they were pregnant gave birth to children with a better metabolic profile compared to those mothers who ate little or no fish at this time.

16 Mar 2020

Fish consumption during pregnancy associated with improved metabolic health of children

To eat or not to eat fish is a question that has long concerned pregnant women. Now, a new USC study shows that children whose mothers ate fish from one to three times a week during pregnancy were more likely to have a better metabolic profile -- despite the risk of exposure to mercury -- than children whose mothers ate fish rarely (less than once a week).

16 Mar 2020

COVID-19 is not transmitted from pregnant mothers to babies, study suggests

Finally, some good news has emerged about the novel coronavirus that has spread to about 50 countries across the world.

16 Mar 2020

Language used on Facebook changes before emergency department visit

A new study published in Scientific Reports reveals that the language people use on Facebook subtly changes before they make a visit to the emergency department.

12 Mar 2020

Newer antiretroviral drugs may be the safest, most effective HIV treatment during pregnancy

The antiretroviral drugs dolutegravir and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (DTG+FTC/TAF) may comprise the safest and most effective HIV treatment regimen currently available during pregnancy, researchers announced today.

11 Mar 2020

Can novel coronavirus affect pregnant women and their babies?

As the new coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes more of a concern for people around the world, fact and myth are increasingly being confused, particularly due to misinformation and unofficial advice being casually shared.

10 Mar 2020

What is the best week for the birth of twins?

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics indicates that the optimal time of birth for twins is at 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

9 Mar 2020

Immune systems of preemies can catch up

According to a new study published in March 2020 in the journal Nature Communications, babies born prematurely up to 32 weeks of pregnancy can quickly catch up on their immune system function after birth, bringing them to a state comparable to term infants.

9 Mar 2020

PrEP drug levels found to lower among pregnant African adolescent girls and young women

Among African adolescent girls and young women who took HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) daily, levels of the PrEP drug tenofovir were more than 30% lower in those who were pregnant than in those who had recently given birth.

9 Mar 2020