Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Research shows brain's immune system gets activated by stress during pregnancy

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.

21 Oct 2019

Pregnant women with anemia more likely to need blood transfusions after cesarean delivery

Pregnant women with anemia are twice as likely to need blood transfusions after a cesarean delivery, as those without the condition, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2019 annual meeting.

21 Oct 2019

Most women of childbearing age may be less skeptical about the safety of CBD

While most women of childbearing age understand drinking alcohol while pregnant is harmful, they may be less skeptical about the safety of cannabidiol, even though there is no evidence to support that belief, suggests a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2019 annual meeting.

20 Oct 2019

Insufficient placental steroid may increase autism spectrum disorder risk

A study in experimental models suggests that allopregnanolone, one of many hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy, is so essential to normal fetal brain development that when provision of that hormone decreases or stops abruptly - as occurs with premature birth - offspring are more likely to develop autism-like behaviors.

20 Oct 2019

Prenatal stress increases birth complications and decreases male births

According to a new study published this week, mothers who undergo physical and mental stress during their pregnancies are more likely to deliver prematurely and have birth complications.

18 Oct 2019

Father’s nutritional pattern affects child’s cardiovascular health

While couples often change their lifestyle in order to conceive faster, including crash diets, a new study in mice throws up the possibility that this kind of extreme dietary modification by the father might result in adverse effects on the child conceived in this manner.

17 Oct 2019

Providers take many approaches to help support women and families after infant loss

For women who suffer the devastation of an infant loss during pregnancy, emotions can run the gamut. They may feel guilty, angry or even relieved. No matter the feeling, expressing those emotions plays a big role in adapting to life after such a tragic event.

17 Oct 2019

Measuring development in young children: the DNA clock

Scientists have come up with a new discovery that could transform our understanding of how childhood growth and development are measured – the DNA clock. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, is the first paper to...

16 Oct 2019

Pollution tied to silent miscarriage among pregnant women

Miscarriage happens when an embryo or fetus dies before the 20th week of pregnancy. In some cases, pregnant women experience silent miscarriage, also known as missed abortion. It happens when the fetus failed to develop or has died.

16 Oct 2019

Children exposed to smokeless tobacco in fetal life more likely to have higher blood pressure

Five to six year old children had higher systolic blood pressure if their mothers used snus, a moist, powdered smokeless tobacco that contains nicotine, while pregnant compared to children of mothers who did not use snus, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the open access journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Oct 2019

Drug may improve the safety of cannabis use in early pregnancy

Cannabis use during pregnancy may increase the risk of psychosis in children. Scientists have now found a drug that can reduce the effects of THC on the fetus.

16 Oct 2019

Syphilis rates in patients with kidney failure found to be greater than general population

Syphilis rates, like other sexually transmitted disease rates in the United States, are soaring, and the first known study to examine syphilis rates in patients with kidney failure found an incidence greater than three times that of the general population.

16 Oct 2019

Hawaii STD epidemic driven by social media and dating apps

There is a sharp rise in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States say health officials. Remarkable rise has been noted in Hawaii and has been attributed to the popularity of online dating and sexual intercourse with multiple partners.

15 Oct 2019

PerkinElmer introduces PG-Seq Rapid Non-Invasive PGT-A kit as alternative to IVF embryo biopsies

PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, today introduced its PG-Seq Rapid Non-Invasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) kit. This solution tests spent embryo culture media for chromosomal abnormalities during in vitro fertilization treatment.

From Revvity 15 Oct 2019

Maternal stress during pregnancy could affect baby's sex and birth outcomes

It's becoming well established that maternal stress during pregnancy can affect fetal and child development as well as birth outcomes, and a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and NewYork-Presbyterian now identifies the types of physical and psychological stress that may matter most.

14 Oct 2019

New therapeutic approach for children born to mothers who used cannabis during pregnancy

As a growing number of U.S. states legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, an increasing number of American women are using cannabis before becoming pregnant and during early pregnancy often to treat morning sickness, anxiety, and lower back pain.

14 Oct 2019

New study to establish evidence-based guidelines for maternal weight gain in twin pregnancies

An old adage urges pregnant women to "eat for two." So with twins, is it "eat for three?" While that is likely bad advice, when it comes to twin pregnancies, clinicians don't have firm guidelines for ideal weight gain due to a lack of scientific study.

11 Oct 2019

Women being mistreated during childbirth in Ghana, Guinea, Myanmar and Nigeria

A new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO), published in The Lancet on October 9, 2019, reveals that women in four poorer countries are at risk of being ill-treated if they visit hospitals or other medical facilities for childbirth.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists solve a longstanding challenge in portable diagnostic devices

If you've ever stopped to watch rain falling on a windowpane, you've seen what happens when two drops of water touch and merge into one.

10 Oct 2019

New study shows why women's natural fertility curve goes up and down

Throughout life, women's natural fertility curve goes up and down, and in a new study led by the University of Copenhagen, researchers have now shown why. The results might have impact on fertility counselling and in the longer term for treatment of infertility.

9 Oct 2019