Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Canada's measles outbreak exposes vulnerabilities in disease elimination efforts

The outbreak that contributed to Canada losing its measles elimination status in November 2025 was concentrated in historically under-vaccinated communities with close social networks across Canada, the US, Mexico, and beyond, creating opportunities for cross-border transmission, concludes a study published by The BMJ today.

28 Oct 2026

High-fat diets in mouse parents alter offspring brain development

Researchers fed breeding pairs of mice five diets with different fat and sugar contents to examine how parental nutrition affects offspring brain development. High-fat diets, alone or combined with high sugar, delayed early motor development and altered brain structure in young adult offspring, while the high-sugar-only diet produced no significant changes in individual brain regions after correction for multiple comparisons.

28 Oct 2026

Engineered albumin could lead to needle-free, long-lasting protein medicines

Protein-based medicines have transformed the treatment of many diseases, but they often come with a limitation: they must be injected, sometimes repeatedly, because they are rapidly cleared from the bloodstream.

28 Oct 2026

Pregnancy night shifts associated with higher risk of developmental abnormalities in children

Working night shifts during pregnancy is linked to a heightened risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities detected by screening in the child by the age of 4, finds research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

27 Oct 2026

Low vitamin B12 is linked to heart disease. Supplements tell a different story

A narrative review published in Nutrition Journal examines how vitamin B12 deficiency may contribute to cardiovascular disease through elevated homocysteine, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and altered methylation. The authors found that B12 supplementation has not consistently prevented heart attacks or cardiovascular deaths in clinical trials, although combined B-vitamin therapy may modestly reduce stroke risk, particularly in populations without folic acid fortification.

27 Oct 2026

Endometrial cancer rates rise sharply among younger South Texas women

An Upper-South region of Texas including San Antonio and Bexar County had the state's highest hysterectomy-corrected incidence of endometrial cancer and the largest increase over time, a study led by scientists at The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center and the National Cancer Institute showed.

27 Oct 2026

New medical framework redefines women’s heart health starting at puberty

The American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released landmark publications that redefine women's heart health, starting at puberty.

27 Oct 2026

Rutgers study links prenatal wildfire smoke exposure to autism risk

A Rutgers-led analysis of health insurance records found that exposure to fine particles from wildfire smoke during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of autism diagnosis in children, with the strongest associations during the second and third trimesters.

27 Oct 2026

Rising heat and humidity increase pregnancy termination risks in Nigeria

New research led by the University of Michigan contains valuable insights for public health officials and communities in Nigeria as they navigate pregnancies through increasing heat and humidity.

26 Oct 2026

Medical societies release landmark framework redefining women's heart health

Today, the American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released a landmark publication that redefines heart health in girls and women.

26 Oct 2026

New report urges unified lifecycle approach to women's heart health

A new approach to women's heart health may offer them a lifetime of opportunities. A trio of scientific papers, published today in the journal Circulation, spells out how fluctuating hormones, mental health and well-being, the heart and the brain are linked and how those connections need to be a routine part of care from a young age.

26 Oct 2026

Understanding the symptoms and treatments of pelvic organ prolapse

The pelvic floor is a layer of muscles and connective tissues that supports the uterus, bladder, urethra, vagina and rectum. The pelvic floor supports the organs in your pelvis from underneath, almost like a hammock.

26 Oct 2026

New poll shows which childhood vaccines US parents trust

While support for childhood vaccines is high, concerns about COVID-19 vaccine safety during pregnancy reveal significant public health messaging challenges.

26 Oct 2026

New guidance expands reproductive care for people with cystic fibrosis

For much of the history of cystic fibrosis (CF) care, reproductive health was not a major part of the conversation. Fertility challenges were the norm for men and women with this genetic disorder, and many grew up assuming biological parenthood was not possible.

23 Oct 2026

Researchers call for microbiome moonshot to tackle chronic diseases

Rutgers researchers are part of an international call for a microbiome moonshot, a massive, coordinated effort to pinpoint how certain microorganisms inside us drive chronic disease and how others can be harnessed for repair.

23 Oct 2026

Fish consumption may help reduce hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

A new prospective study from Japan explored whether fish consumption before and during pregnancy is linked to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.

23 Oct 2026

Maternal stress alters placental pathways affecting fetal brain development

About one in five U.S. women experience maternal mental health conditions, and chronic stress during pregnancy can contribute to risk for both maternal and child health challenges.

23 Oct 2026

Babies born small may face lasting differences in school performance

The study highlights that fetal size, not just gestational age, plays a crucial role in long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for term-born children.

23 Oct 2026

Postpartum recovery may influence long-term maternal aging and health

Jesse Poganik, PhD, of the Division of Genetics within the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, is the senior author of a paper published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, "The Postpartum Recovery Window as a Determinant of Maternal Aging." Stephen Albright, formerly of Mass General Brigham, is the lead author.

23 Oct 2026

$8.2 million grant advances on-demand male contraceptive development

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a four-year, $8.2 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to develop and test an experimental on-demand male contraceptive pill that temporarily stops sperm in their tracks

22 Oct 2026