Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy? New review finds no clear threshold

Caffeine's impact on pregnancy is nuanced; moderate consumption may not lead to major complications, but risks to fetal growth persist without a safe threshold.

10 Oct 2025

Thousands of ‘healthy’ Brits are unknowingly low on iron

A study reveals 6% of health-conscious UK adults have anemia, primarily due to iron deficiency, often without noticeable symptoms, especially in women.

9 Oct 2025

Depression during pregnancy raises risk of gestational diabetes

Findings indicate that antenatal depression increases the risk of gestational diabetes, underscoring the need for early intervention and lifestyle support.

8 Oct 2025

Cesarean births in advanced labor linked to higher risk of womb scarring

Women who have Cesarean births at an advanced stage of labor are about eight times more likely to develop scars in the womb which are known to increase the likelihood of premature births in future pregnancies, UCL researchers have found.

7 Oct 2025

Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado started revamping its vaccine policies in the spring

As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dismantling of federal vaccine policy continues to roil the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some Democratic-led states have struck out on their own, setting up new systems to help them assess the science and maintain immunization access for their residents.

7 Oct 2025

'Good' gut microbe found to support fetal growth and reduce pregnancy risks

Research led by the University of Cambridge has found the first clear evidence that the 'good' gut bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in pregnant mothers regulates the placenta's production of hormones critical for a healthy pregnancy.

6 Oct 2025

Research finds a steady rise in cardiovascular-related complications during pregnancy

Cardiovascular-related health problems may occur in as many as 1 out of every 7 pregnancies, even among people who don't already have heart disease, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

6 Oct 2025

Reproductive health agencies call for a major shift in diagnosis and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage

Through landmark new guidelines released today, leading reproductive health agencies are calling for a major shift in how postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is prevented, diagnosed and treated.

6 Oct 2025

Inside the high-stakes battle over vaccine injury compensation, autism, and public trust

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has floated a seismic idea: adding autism to the list of conditions covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

6 Oct 2025

New research reveals the cervix as a truly immunocompetent tissue

Cervical epithelial cells are far from passive bystanders in the body's immune system. New research shows they actually play an active and highly coordinated role in detecting and fighting infections. That's the conclusion of an international research team led by Associate Professor Cindrilla Chumduri from Aarhus University, and now published in the journal Science Advances.

6 Oct 2025

Zika virus exposure during pregnancy permanently shapes offspring's frontline immune cells

A Wayne State University study published in the Oct. 3, 2025, issue of Nature Communications revealed that Zika virus exposure during pregnancy causes long-term, sex-specific changes to a baby's immune system, particularly affecting the frontline immune cells that fight infection.

6 Oct 2025

Experts urge vaccination during pregnancy to prevent infant whooping cough deaths

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is on the rise and incidence now exceeds pre-pandemic numbers. While in adults and older children the cough can be bothersome and last for months, pertussis in young infants can be life-threatening.

3 Oct 2025

New software MaGNet automates analysis of breast tissue branching architecture

Branching isn't just for trees. This biological process occurs in animal development, enabling organs to perform complex functions. Branch-like structures form in lungs, kidneys, and breasts, among other places. Importantly, only in female mammary glands does most branching occur years after birth.

3 Oct 2025

Firstborn behavior predicts future sibling relationship quality

A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) sheds light on how a firstborn child's behavior after the arrival of a sibling can predict the quality of their sibling relationship over time.

30 Sep 2025

Controversy surrounding Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy

Whether or not those who are pregnant should take a Covid-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their infants became more controversial in May, when three top U.S. health officials – Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, and Food and Drug Administration director Marty Makary – announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedule will no longer recommend it "for healthy children and healthy pregnant women."

30 Sep 2025

Negative behavioral effects of psilocybin persist in mouse mothers and offspring

Magic mushrooms may not be the answer to postpartum depression, new research from the University of California, Davis suggests.

30 Sep 2025

Why women’s periods once synced with the moon — and what changed

Study reveals women's menstrual cycles follow lunar gravity, with synchronization detected during strong seasonal alignments despite artificial light effects.

30 Sep 2025

Myo-inositol fails to lower pregnancy risks in women with PCOS

Myo-inositol supplementation shows no significant benefits in preventing pregnancy complications for women with PCOS, according to a recent large-scale study.

30 Sep 2025

How maternal microbes shape babies’ gut health and disease risk

Early microbial exposures from maternal microbes, milk components, and the environment shape infant gut development and long-term disease risk. The review highlights mechanisms, preventive levers, and research gaps in supporting healthy microbiome inheritance across generations.

29 Sep 2025

RSV vaccines protect two most-at-risk groups from severe illness

The review demonstrates that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are both safe and effective in protecting groups who are most at risk for serious illness, including older adults and infants.

29 Sep 2025