Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Daily steps and less sitting associated with healthier pregnancies

Findings indicate that less sitting and more walking during pregnancy can reduce adverse outcomes, emphasizing the role of physical activity in maternal health.

5 Jun 2026

Prioritizing maternal sleep reduces risk of postpartum anxiety disorders

Postpartum and perinatal depression are known challenges for those going through pregnancy, but there has been less focus on the more prevalent disorder of anxiety.

4 Jun 2026

Exercise during pregnancy links to lower infant BMI at one year

Supervised exercise during pregnancy may lower infant BMI and reduce obesity risk, highlighting the impact of maternal health on early growth trajectories.

4 Jun 2026

What pregnancy reveals about a woman’s future heart health

Pregnancy acts as a natural cardiovascular stress test, revealing hidden heart disease and identifying women at higher long-term risk after complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth. The review highlights major evidence gaps in cardio-obstetric care and calls for stronger postpartum screening, dedicated women’s health clinics, and better inclusion of reproductive-age women in research.

3 Jun 2026

Genetically-modified hookworms successfully deliver medicine to animal hosts

Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable co-existence with their hosts.

3 Jun 2026

The best foods for brain health may change as you age

Investigating brain foods, this review highlights dietary influences on cognition and neurodevelopment, while addressing significant gaps in current research.

3 Jun 2026

Eating a Mediterranean diet may lower anxiety symptoms in teens

Findings reveal that the Mediterranean diet may reduce anxiety symptoms in adolescents, with maternal dietary habits also impacting offspring mental health.

2 Jun 2026

Genetic testing identifies cause of pancreatic agenesis in infants

The DNA changes responsible for a rare genetic condition causing babies to be born without a pancreas can now be identified in almost all affected children through genetic testing.

1 Jun 2026

Free contraception program sharply reduces patient spending in British Columbia

Researchers at UBC found that B.C.'s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s.

29 May 2026

Survey reveals critical knowledge gaps in maternal health recommendations

Most Americans know that how well a mother takes care of herself before and during pregnancy affects the health of a baby, but many people remain unclear about some specific maternal health recommendations, including when to start avoiding alcohol, according to a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

29 May 2026

Could guava juice help prevent anemia?

Guava juice intake is linked to increased hemoglobin levels in females, highlighting its role as a dietary complement to traditional iron supplementation.

29 May 2026

Miniature lab grown circuits unlock hidden recovery paths for paralysis

Cambridge scientists have grown miniature circuits in the lab that mimic how the brain and spinal cord connect up, which underlies our movements. They used this model to show how damage to these connections previously considered 'irreversible' could, in fact, be reversible.

28 May 2026

Early pregnancy interventions improve healthy gestational weight gain outcomes

Both too little and too much weight gain during pregnancy are associated with serious maternal and child health outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, death, preeclampsia, and unplanned cesarean delivery.

27 May 2026

Machine learning can help close pregnancy drug safety gaps

JMIR Publications today released a report on developments in the evidence gap in drug safety during pregnancy in its News and Perspectives section.

27 May 2026

Prenatal therapy for cystic fibrosis improves lifelong health outcomes

This Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) is highlighting a growing shift in care: starting cystic fibrosis treatment before birth to improve lifelong health outcomes and reduce hospital stays.

27 May 2026

Prenatal forever chemical exposure may affect puberty timing in children

An EHU-University of the Basque Country and Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute study has linked certain chemicals measured during the first trimester of pregnancy to the subsequent onset of puberty in the children.

27 May 2026

Why blood pressure rises faster in women after midlife

This review examines how sex-specific blood pressure trajectories are shaped by genetics, hormones, metabolic risk factors, lifestyle exposures, environmental stressors, and medical treatments. It highlights that women generally have lower blood pressure earlier in life but may experience steeper increases with aging, especially around and after menopause, with exogenous stressors appearing to have a greater impact in women than in men.

27 May 2026

Study links fathers’ preconception stress to altered offspring development

Research from the University of Colorado Anschutz suggests that stress experienced by a father before conception may influence an offspring's growth by altering small molecular signals in sperm.

26 May 2026

Novel wearable ultrasound patch improves high-risk pregnancy monitoring

Current fetal monitoring tools for physicians to closely follow high-risk pregnancies are inadequate, so researchers at Stanford Medicine, the University of California San Diego and Oxford University developed a wearable ultrasound patch to monitor such pregnancies.

26 May 2026

Engineers develop wearable ultrasound patch for continuous fetal monitoring

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a soft, wearable ultrasound patch that can continuously monitor a fetus for hours at a time - and it can do so consistently even as the fetus and umbilical cord constantly move during pregnancy.

26 May 2026