Last update:
Pregnancy news
Immune stress during pregnancy changes how fetal brain cells communicate, mouse study reveals
Research led by the SickKids Research Institute in Toronto and the University of Pennsylvania, has found that immune-related genes vary by location and cell type across the developing mouse brain before birth. Maternal immune ...
12 minutes ago
0
0
How a miniature womb on a chip can help women struggling to conceive
A team of scientists from China has successfully created a miniature womb on a chip that mimics the complex environment of the human uterus. The research offers a new way to study the exact moment an embryo attaches to a ...
Molecular mechanism underlying peripartum cardiomyopathy revealed
Scientists at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation have identified a previously unknown molecular safeguard that protects the heart during pregnancy, shedding new light on the causes of peripartum cardiomyopathy ...
12 hours ago
0
0
Iowa doesn't have enough OB-GYNs: The state's abortion ban might be making it worse
Jonna Quinn was initially thrilled when she got her first job after her medical residency, working as an OB-GYN in Mason City, Iowa. It was less than two hours down the road from West Bend, where she grew up on a farm.
8 hours ago
0
0
Rise of preterm births in US linked to poverty and race
Researchers at Boston Medical Center, working with colleagues at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health report that US preterm birth rates rose from 2011–2021 in households ...
Maternal flu and Tdap shots may lower rates of infant hospitalization, ED visits
Maternal influenza and tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations are associated with a lower risk for influenza- and pertussis-related hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visits in infants younger ...
Jan 9, 2026
0
3
New wearable makes measuring heart rate of unborn baby at home more comfortable
A new wearable technology could change how unborn babies are monitored at home. Ph.D. researcher Yijing Zhang (Department of Electrical Engineering) has developed a comfortable, portable garment that allows pregnant women ...
Jan 9, 2026
0
0
Episiotomy linked to increased risk of severe bleeding in women with anemia
Having an episiotomy, a surgical cut to the vagina during childbirth, doubles the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in women with moderate or severe anemia, according to new research published in The Lancet Global Health.
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Breastfeeding may lower moms' later life depression/anxiety risks for up to 10 years after pregnancy
Breastfeeding may lower mothers' later life risks of depression and anxiety for up to 10 years after pregnancy, suggest the findings of a small observational study, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Freestanding birth centers are closing as maternity care gaps grow
Dr. Heather Skanes opened Alabama's first freestanding birth center in 2022 in her hometown of Birmingham. Skanes, an OB-GYN, wanted to improve access to maternal health care in a state that's long had one of the nation's ...
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Disaster-related prenatal maternal stress has epigenetic outcomes
Maternal prenatal stress related to natural and human-made disasters can lead to epigenetic modifications in offspring, according to a recent narrative review.
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Three in four new Australian moms struggle with body image, study finds
Up to 75% of Australian women report concerns about their body image after giving birth, with many feeling intense pressure to "bounce back" to their pre-pregnancy shape, a pressure that can even trigger eating disorders ...
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Centralizing Norwegian hospitals has reduced birth mortality, finds study
One million births in Norway over 17 years have a story to tell: Maternity wards with greater numbers of births have safer births.
Jan 8, 2026
0
0
Whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women strengthens babies' immune systems, international study shows
International research led by Radboud University Medical Center shows that vaccinating women during pregnancy leads to the transfer of antibodies to their newborns. Antibodies from the mother are transferred to the baby through ...
Jan 7, 2026
1
86
Lifestyle interventions in pregnancy proven to reduce gestational diabetes risk
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have led the largest study to date demonstrating the significant benefits of lifestyle interventions in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes.
Jan 7, 2026
0
0
Adverse prenatal exposures linked to higher rates of mental health issues, brain changes in adolescents
In a study led by researchers from Mass General Brigham, children with more adverse prenatal exposures (APEs) showed higher rates of behavior problems that persisted into mid-adolescence, faster cortical thinning across multiple ...
Jan 7, 2026
0
0
Noninvasive prenatal screening could prevent permanent hearing loss in newborns
A new study indicates that noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) performed using a low-cost form of whole genome sequencing can detect the risk in pregnant mothers of transmitting cytomegalovirus (CMV)—a common herpes infection ...
Jan 7, 2026
0
0
Infants receiving nirsevimab fare better against RSV compared to those with maternal vaccination
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. For most healthy adults and children, it causes only mild, cold-like symptoms and goes away on its own. Infants under 6 months ...
How stressors during pregnancy impact the developing fetal brain
The maternal microbiome and immune system have both independent and synergistic effects on fetal brain health—changes in the mother's immune system have been linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in ...
Jan 6, 2026
0
65
Elective C-sections linked to lower childhood cortisol
For years, researchers have documented health differences between babies born vaginally versus by cesarean section—work that revealed the importance of exposure to the vaginal microbiome during birth. But a new Dartmouth-led ...
Jan 5, 2026
0
21
Pediatrician explains why babies need the hepatitis B vaccine
Hepatitis B is a virus that can damage the liver and lead to lifelong health problems. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents short-term illness (acute hepatitis) and a life-threatening infection called chronic hepatitis B.
Jan 5, 2026
0
0
Tangled scar tissue may set stage for dangerous placenta condition
Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) used to be a rare pregnancy condition, but it now affects roughly 14,000 pregnancies annually, posing a major cause of maternal death. Yet why it happens is still not well understood. Placenta ...
Jan 3, 2026
0
7
Pregnant women hospitalized for COVID-19, and their newborns, have higher complication risk
When hospitalized for COVID-19, pregnant women—and their eventual newborn children—have a higher risk of complications, according to a Michigan Medicine study.
Jan 2, 2026
0
105
One in four Norwegian mothers skip postnatal check-ups despite free service, study finds
In a new study, Christine Agdestein has surveyed several aspects of the postnatal check-up. Agdestein is a specialist in general practice and a general practitioner, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Norwegian University ...
Jan 2, 2026
0
0
