Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Real-world data reveals higher reported GLP-1 side effects in female patients

The second of a Series of papers presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health discusses the wide-ranging issues relating to use of GLP-1 RA drug use in women.

1 Oct 2026

GLP-1 receptor agonist exposure shows no link to major adverse pregnancy outcomes

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health shows that, following a review and meta-analysis of available studies, use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) drugs for diabetes and weight management in women living with diabetes is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in most cases.

1 Oct 2026

Early-onset type 2 diabetes trial demonstrates significant 24-week fat loss

New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas journal shows that in people who have developed early onset type 2 diabetes (EOT2D) (aged under 45 years), around half these T2D cases can be reversed with a low-energy diet combined with a structured exercise program.

1 Oct 2026

Placental health in late pregnancy linked to childhood ADHD

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children may be associated with problems with the health of the placenta during late pregnancy, according to a new study by University of Iowa Health Care researchers.

30 Sep 2026

Study connects food insecurity to mental health in young mothers

A new review of research from across sub-Saharan Africa found that inadequate access to food is linked to depression, suicide attempts, HIV vulnerabilities, and poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescent mothers.

30 Sep 2026

Daily probiotics help prevent severe gut disease in preterm babies

Probiotic supplementation in very preterm infants is linked to lower rates of necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality, according to a nationwide Swedish study.

30 Sep 2026

Maternal depression linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children

Children of mothers with depression had higher rates of certain neurodevelopmental disorders regardless of whether they were exposed to antidepressants in the womb, reports a new study led by Saraid McIlvride of the University of Glasgow, UK, published September 29th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

29 Sep 2026

Uterus transplantation shows improving outcomes and successful births nationwide

A decade of uterus transplantation in the United States has resulted in dozens of healthy births and steadily improving surgical outcomes, according to a new national review led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

24 Sep 2026

Screening approved medicines reveals potential treatments for preterm labor

Shajila Siricilla, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, and Jennifer Herington, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, led a team that systematically screened 1,191 FDA-approved drugs and found that several candidates met criteria supporting further evaluation as potential treatments for preterm labor.

23 Sep 2026

New 3D lipid atlas maps the chemistry of mouse brains

The brain is often described in terms of cells and wiring. However, much of it is made of lipids that form the membranes of neurons, wrap nerve fibers with myelin, and help brain cells send and receive signals.

23 Sep 2026

Study finds no causal link between prenatal paracetamol and neurodevelopmental disorders

Various studies over the years have linked prenatal use of the pain reliever paracetamol (acetaminophen) with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, but many of the studies were small, poorly designed, or found only weak associations

23 Sep 2026

Common chemical exposures in pregnancy may be linked to early attention and memory

Researchers examined whether prenatal exposure to aromatic amines and cotinine was associated with attention, processing speed, and memory in 250 infants assessed at 7.5 months. The study found mixed patterns across cognitive measures, with several estimates suggesting poorer attention or memory but carrying substantial statistical uncertainty.

23 Sep 2026

Children of single mothers by choice show favorable birth outcomes

The children of single mothers who conceive through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) have similar outcomes to babies of partnered mothers who had conceived naturally, a UCL-led study has found.

22 Sep 2026

CAR T-cell therapy enables safe pregnancies in autoimmune patients

Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus mainly affect young women, often in a phase of their lives where they would like to have children.

22 Sep 2026

Poor sleep health in late pregnancy linked to higher childhood obesity risk

New research has found that mothers with poor sleep quality in late pregnancy had babies with lower weight in the first 6 months of life, but higher weight after age 1-2 years.

22 Sep 2026

Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to subtle brain and behavioral differences in children

A large ABCD study of 10,838 children found that prenatal cannabis exposure was associated with small differences in resting-state brain connectivity, higher behavioral and emotional problem scores, and lower performance on several cognitive measures in late childhood. PCE-related connectivity patterns partly overlapped with those linked to psychopathology and cognition, although the cross-sectional observational design cannot establish causality or mediation.

22 Sep 2026

Daughters inspire closer parental relationship bonds, study finds

Children can be hard on a relationship, but some kids can bring parents closer together.

21 Sep 2026

Sex differences in infant attention are present hours after birth

Cambridge scientists have shown that girls and boys show differences in what they pay attention to, even at birth.

21 Sep 2026

Mifepristone offers effective emergency contraception with fewer side effects

Emergency contraception containing mifepristone prevents more pregnancies with fewer side effects than some other common emergency contraceptive pills such as levonorgestrel, according to a new Cochrane review involving 87 trials.

20 Sep 2026

Study identifies brain mechanism behind pregnancy-related food cravings

Why do food cravings become so strong during pregnancy? Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with colleagues, have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how pregnancy changes the motivation to seek certain highly palatable foods.

18 Sep 2026