https://medicalxpress.com/obstetrics-gynaecology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Obstetrics and gynaecology Vanillin, a common flavoring chemical in e-cigarettes, may disrupt the normal development of embryos in pregnant women who vape, according to a study published in Human Reproduction. The finding explains how vaping may be linked to women having difficulty conceiving and to miscarriages. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-vanillin-flavoring-cigarettes-disrupt-human.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news705656342 Use of hormone therapy later in life was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-estrogen-hormone-therapy-dementia.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:00:05 EDT news705659402 Organs don't just grow in early life; they can change in response to physiological or environmental challenges in adulthood. Researchers have now identified an active role for the intestinal muscles in remodeling the gut after reproduction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-female-gut-muscles-reshape-demands.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:40:03 EDT news705753421 As mice age, their total egg reserve collapses around tenfold. Yet, according to a new study published in Nature Aging, the proportion of eggs in the brief window where a follicle is shifting from dormant to growing stays constant throughout life, at approximately 14%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-3d-lifespan-mouse-ovaries-constant.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 05:00:02 EDT news705677881 For more than 30 years, one piece of pregnancy advice has been remarkably consistent: Take folic acid. The reason is clear. Folic acid, or vitamin B9, can lower the risk of neural tube defects, serious birth defects that happen when the early structure that becomes the brain and spinal cord does not close properly. What has been much less clear is how folic acid works. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-folic-acid-baby-brain-spinal.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:20:05 EDT news705667022 A new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that women living in socially vulnerable communities face a 20% higher risk of death after an ovarian cancer diagnosis compared with women living in less vulnerable communities. The study, published today in JAMA Network Open, also found that Black women face a 45% higher risk of death than white women. Together, the findings suggest that neighborhood conditions may help explain persistent racial disparities in ovarian cancer survival. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-ovarian-cancer-survival-black.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news705247021 Wildfires are well-known health risks. Now, in a new Frontiers in Environmental Health study, researchers in the U.S. have—for the first time—evaluated how prenatal PM2.5 exposure has changed over space and time on a national scale and what role wildfires play in shaping these trends. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wildfires-dominant-contributor-unhealthy-air.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news705228629 After ovulation, an egg travels through the oviduct (Fallopian tube) toward the uterus (womb). This journey is essential for reproduction: Fertilization normally occurs in the oviduct, and the resulting zygote continues developing as it moves toward the uterus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-oviduct-egg-essential.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news705251762 Researchers at WashU Medicine have found a significant decline in mammography use among certain groups of women. A recent study, led by Adetunji Toriola, MD, Ph.D., a professor of surgery and a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician Scholar, analyzed 20 years of mammography data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-mammography-groups.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:40:06 EDT news705248768 Why do women, on average, live longer than men yet often face a greater burden of chronic disease later in life? Why do some of the most fertile animals in nature, including queen bees and naked mole-rat queens, also live exceptionally long lives? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-women-prioritized-longevity.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:06 EDT news705159421 As women get older, their uterine environment changes. This includes a decrease in a beneficial bacterium called Lactobacillus gasseri, which may make conception—whether natural or via in vitro fertilization—difficult. In a study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe on Aug. 6, researchers show that treating mice and humans with L. gasseri supplements or derived postbiotics may improve fertility among women older than 35. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-bacterial-supplements-boost-female-fertility.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news705159601 Researchers have developed an implant that could deliver next-generation therapies for ovarian cancer precisely where they are needed while simultaneously monitoring how the disease responds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-implant-ovarian-cancer.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:40:03 EDT news705077042 Discovered in 1955, the Oropouche virus has circulated mainly in the Amazon, causing a febrile illness virtually indistinguishable from those caused by dengue, Zika and chikungunya, viruses also transmitted by biting mosquitoes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-zika-oropouche-virus-affect-brains.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:20:12 EDT news705064563