Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Functional connectome of fetal brain begins to take form in utero

The fundamental organization of brain networks is established in utero during the second and third trimesters of fetal development, according to research published in JNeurosci. The finding lays the groundwork for understanding how the prenatal period shapes future brain function.

From Society for Neuroscience 30 Oct 2019

Five surgeons receive ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Awards

Last night, five surgeons received the 2019 American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Awards and Surgical Volunteerism Awards in recognition of their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients.

30 Oct 2019

Prenatal exposure to air pollution associated with reduced cardiac response to stress in infants

A mother's exposure to particulate air pollution during pregnancy is associated with reduced cardiac response to stress in six-month-old infants, according to Mount Sinai research published in Environmental Health Perspectives in October.

30 Oct 2019

Researchers are confronting opioid epidemic in multiple ways

With opioid drug overdose deaths skyrocketing in recent decades, researchers at Brown University's School of Public Health are confronting the epidemic in multiple ways.

30 Oct 2019

Plastic surgery training takes a toll on reproductive health

Plastic surgery training takes a toll on childbearing and reproductive health, including negative effects on fertility, complications during pregnancy, and breastfeeding practices, reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

29 Oct 2019

Young breast reduction surgery patients report long-term benefits decades after the procedure

Women who underwent breast reduction surgery before age 25 continue to report lasting benefits 10 to 30 years following the procedure, according to a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

29 Oct 2019

Study shows significant decrease in use of antidepressants by pregnant women

A pregnancy is not always a happy event and as many as 10-15 per cent of pregnant women in Denmark have depressive symptoms. Despite years of critical focus on the side effects of antidepressants in the healthcare system, consumption of antidepressants by pregnant women actually increased drastically during the period 1997 to 2011.

29 Oct 2019

Gut microbiome is a reality in fetal life also

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that in both mice and humans, the fetal gut has its own microbiome, which is probably derived straight from the maternal organism.

24 Oct 2019

Higher levels of chemicals in mothers' system during pregnancy linked to lower IQ in children

Exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy to mixtures of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in consumer products is related to lower IQ in children by age 7, according to a study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Karlstad University, Sweden, published in Environment International in October.

24 Oct 2019

$5 million in federal funding to accelerate potential treatments for urea cycle disorders

An international research consortium co-led by Andrea L. Gropman, M.D., at Children's National Hospital has received $5 million in federal funding as part of an overall effort to better understand rare diseases and accelerate potential treatments to patients.

24 Oct 2019

Rutgers professor discusses children’s vulnerabilities to pesticides and how to reduce exposure

Studies show that exposure to pesticides – specifically those containing chlorpyrifos, which attack an insect's nervous system – can harm a child's physical and mental development.

23 Oct 2019

Findings point to potential interventions to improve preemie growth during high risk pregnancy

A study in humans and mice demonstrated that a fetus has its own microbiome, or communities of bacteria living in the gut, which are known to play important roles in the immune system and metabolism.

23 Oct 2019

Study paves the way to successful pregnancies in fertility clinics

Struggling with infertility? You are not alone. Infertility affects one out of every six Canadian couples. Some resort to in vitro fertilization, with mixed results.

23 Oct 2019

Study links common chemical to rare birth defect in mice

A chemical commonly used in consumer and agricultural products to boost the effectiveness of insecticides has been linked to a rare birth defect in mice.

23 Oct 2019

Link between pregnancy stress, immune activation, and postpartum depression

A new study presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting on October 19, 2019, at Chicago, shows for the first time how postpartum depression could actually be due to abnormal immune system activation within the brain, which in turn is set off by chronic pregnancy stress. This is the earliest study to show this link in animals.

22 Oct 2019

Researchers assess accuracy of lateral flow urine LAM test in detecting TB in HIV-positive people

Tuberculosis (TB) causes more deaths in people living with HIV than any other disease, with more than 300,000 deaths in 2017. When detected, early TB can be treated effectively; however, people with advanced HIV are at high risk of death, often without knowing they have TB.

22 Oct 2019

Risk of health conditions among adults who were born premature

Swedish researchers looked at the risk of having health conditions including high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, heart disease or epilepsy among adults who had been born prematurely. The study titled, “Prevalence of Survival Without Major Comorbidities Among Adults Born Prematurely,” was published in the latest issue of the JAMA this month.

22 Oct 2019

Study uncovers brain biology behind postpartum depression

Chronic stress during pregnancy triggers an immune response in the brain that has potential to alter brain functions in ways that could contribute to postpartum depression, new research in animals suggests.

22 Oct 2019

Researchers develop simple, low-cost way to predict preeclampsia

Australian researchers have developed a way to predict the onset of a deadly pregnancy condition that kills 76,000 women and half a million babies each year, mostly in developing countries.

22 Oct 2019

Autism spectrum disorder could be triggered by low placental steroid levels

A recent experimental study has shown that one reason for the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be the deficit of a placental steroid hormone called allopregnanolone. The reason is that this hormone plays a critical role in the normal development of the brain in fetal life.

21 Oct 2019