Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

New insights into the most perplexing medical mysteries associated with schizophrenia

Four unsolved mysteries around schizophrenia have long plagued the medical community, but a new hypothesis identifying a common link between them and an almost forgotten epidemic of a disease called pellagra could have profound implications for our understanding of psychosis in poorer nations.

12 Dec 2019

Mice study shows the impact of taking antidepressants during pregnancy

Exposure to antidepressants during pregnancy and the first weeks of life can alter sensory processing well into adulthood, according to research in mice recently published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 11 Dec 2019

Tulane study focuses on treatment of preeclampsia

A Tulane University researcher has received a grant that will support the development of new imaging methods to improve the treatment of preeclampsia.

10 Dec 2019

Study explores Instagram users' experiences of miscarriage

About 10-20 % of all known pregnancies unfortunately end in miscarriage or the loss of a fetus. Despite its common occurrence, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding miscarriage and many women find that their emotional and psychological needs are unmet as they go through a devastating grieving process.

9 Dec 2019

Smoking during pregnancy may increase woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most significant risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. In the United States, 10.7% of all women smoke during their pregnancy or are exposed to second-hand smoke.

9 Dec 2019

Trial investigating "abortion pill reversal" stops due to safety concerns

Scientists are calling for pro-life US states to abolish an unproven medication that supposedly "reverses" medical abortion.

9 Dec 2019

Study highlights lack of psychological support for people dealing with infertility in the UK

Psychological support for those dealing with infertility and its treatment is received by only just half of those who want it in the UK - with many left to suffer with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, according to a new study published in Human Fertility.

6 Dec 2019

Reductions in air pollution yield dramatic impacts on health-outcomes

Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

6 Dec 2019

Fetal heart rate could predict future heart health of babies

Changes in heart rate due to low oxygen conditions experienced by the fetus during pregnancy could predict the future heart health of babies, suggests research published today in The Journal of Physiology.

6 Dec 2019

Incentive-based smoking cessation interventions significantly reduce infant morbidity

Colorado is taking a critical step to protect low-income women during their pregnancy through incentive-based smoking cessation interventions. A new study from the Colorado School of Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus shows a significant reduction in infant morbidity due to the program.

6 Dec 2019

Lower socioeconomic status of fathers is a risk factor for early preterm birth

Lifelong lower socioeconomic status of fathers, as defined by early life and adulthood neighborhood income, is a newly identified risk factor for early preterm birth (at less than 34 weeks), according to a study published in Maternal and Child Health Journal.

6 Dec 2019

Black mothers get less treatment for postpartum depression than other moms

Portia Smith’s most vivid memories of her daughter’s first year are of tears. Not the baby’s. Her own.

6 Dec 2019

Researchers draw an evolutionary link between pregnancy and cancer malignancy

A UConn School of Dental Medicine researcher used pregnancy to unlock a missing link between various species of mammals and cancer malignancy--fundamentally changing the way we look at cancer metastasis.

5 Dec 2019

Birth control pills shrink hypothalamus

Birth control pills have been found to reduce a part of the brain that is associated with controlling the sex drive finds a new study. The study results are being presented as a preview in the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

5 Dec 2019

Prenatal screening for hemoglobinopathies different in OBGYN practices and family medicine

Sickle cell disease is one of the most common inherited red blood cell disorders, yet many are not aware of their carrier status (Treadwell, J Nat Med Assoc, 2006), which can lead to confusion around pregnancy and newborn diagnosis.

5 Dec 2019

Proposed Ohio legislation may interfere with providing medically optimal care for women

The American College of Physicians fears that recent legislation introduced in the Ohio state legislature that orders physicians to re-implant ectopic pregnancies, which is clinically not possible, will threaten patient health and subject physicians to criminal prosecution for providing standard of care, reproductive health care services.

4 Dec 2019

Preterm birth could be spotted early by ultrasound

A new presentation at the 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in San Diego will report on ultrasound as used in pregnancy, especially with respect to the comparison of two sets of data derived from two separate ultrasound techniques to evaluate cervical changes. The researchers claim that both ultrasound techniques help to estimate the attenuation coefficient of human cervical tissue, and to thus assess changes in it, providing a better picture of the true risk for preterm birth thereby.

4 Dec 2019

Baylor researchers report creation of an 'epigenetic couch potato' mouse

Why is it that some people love to exercise, and others hate it? Most people would assume it's all due to genetics, but a new Baylor College of Medicine led study in mice shows for the first time that a different molecular level of regulation - epigenetics - plays a key role in determining one's innate drive to exercise.

4 Dec 2019

Rural women experience higher rates pregnancy complications than urban peers

Women in rural communities experience higher rates of life-threatening complications during or after childbirth than mothers in urban cities, a new study finds.

4 Dec 2019