Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Children exposed to smoking in early life more likely to exhibit hyperactivity, conduct problems

In a recent study, children exposed to smoking in the first 4 years of life were more likely to exhibit symptoms of hyperactivity and conduct problems.

4 Dec 2019

Exposure to cooking fumes during pregnancy linked to higher risks of hyperactivity in children

In pregnant women, exposure to cooking fumes was related to an increased risk of their children having hyperactivity behaviors at the age of 3 years.

4 Dec 2019

Pregnant women do not meet nutritional recommendations, show studies

In a Maternal & Child Nutrition analysis of published studies on the dietary habits of women who were trying to conceive or were pregnant, most studies indicated that women do not meet nutritional recommendations for vegetable, cereal grain, or folate intake.

4 Dec 2019

Cesarean delivery of twins increases threefold in Victoria, Australia

The proportion of twins born by cesarean delivery in Victoria, Australia increased threefold, from 24% to 71% of all twin births, during 1983–2015, despite high-level evidence that routine cesarean delivery of twins does not benefit mothers or babies, according to the authors of research published online today by the Medical Journal of Australia.

4 Dec 2019

Common cold virus could infect fetus via placenta

According to researchers, the common cold viruses are capable of infecting human placental cells and may thus transmit the infection to the fetus in the womb during pregnancy. The new study was published in the journal PLOS ONE, and provides the first concrete proof that this type of carriage is possible.

3 Dec 2019

1 in 5 adolescents have prediabetes in U.S.

The recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in JAMA Pediatrics, highlights the rising prevalence of prediabetes, which can lead to type 2 diabetes if it’s not treated or controlled early. In the country, an estimated 18 percent among adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18, and 24 percent among young adults, between 19 and 34 have prediabetes.

3 Dec 2019

Daughters of women with PCOS five times more likely to develop the syndrome in adulthood

Daughters of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome are five times more likely to be diagnosed with PCOS as adults, and the generational transmission is driven by high androgen levels during pregnancy, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report.

2 Dec 2019

Daily cannabis use during pregnancy associated with delayed fetal growth

Daily marijuana use during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of low birth weight, low resistance to infection, decreased oxygen levels and other negative fetal health outcomes, according to a new study from a team of UNLV Medicine doctors.

2 Dec 2019

Study shows perinatal outcomes following bariatric surgery between pregnancies

During 2002-2014, there was a 13-fold increase in weight loss surgeries among women aged 15-44 years in New South Wales, Australia, and undergoing such surgery between a first and second pregnancy was associated with lower risks of hypertension, preterm birth, and other outcomes in the second pregnancy.

2 Dec 2019

Changes in placenta could mean males born to older mothers more prone to heart problems

A new study in rats shows that older mother rats develop poorer placentas which are in turn related to later risk of heart problems in their male offspring. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that both male and female offspring are smaller in size when the mother is older. However, the placental development in older mothers with male fetuses is especially impaired, leading to worse placental function. As a result, heart problems are more common in later life in these offspring, as is high blood pressure.

28 Nov 2019

Placenta changes in older mothers linked to greater odds of heart problems in male offspring

Placenta changes could mean male offspring of older mums more likely to develop heart problems in later life, rat study finds.

28 Nov 2019

Review: Benefits, safety of fortifying wheat or maize flour with folic acid and health outcomes

Folate is an essential B-vitamin that is needed for DNA synthesis and cell division. Folate deficiency can lead to anemia, and deficiency early in pregnancy can lead to neural tube defects – birth defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord, including spina bifida.

27 Nov 2019