https://medicalxpress.com/pregnancy-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Pregnancy In Switzerland, around 2,400 children are born as twins every year. When the fetuses share a placenta, they are connected to one another via blood vessels. If the blood circulation becomes unbalanced, this can be life-threatening for both, as too much blood flows from one fetus to the other. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-robotic-high-twin-pregnancies-panoramic.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:00:15 EDT news708853261 A common and often overlooked nutrient deficiency may play a bigger role in pregnancy outcomes than previously recognized. In a recent analysis published in the Journal of Perinatology, neonatologist and pediatrician Carol L. Wagner, M.D., and Anjali G. Borsum, an M.D. candidate at MUSC's College of Medicine, found that among more than 15,000 pregnancies studied at MUSC, women with the lowest vitamin D levels faced the highest risk of preterm birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-decade-case-vitamin-d-pregnancy.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:00:01 EDT news708796261 Many women say the same thing during pregnancy: They walk into a room and forget why, misplace their keys or struggle to follow a conversation. This phenomenon, often called "pregnancy brain" or "momnesia," has long lacked a clear biological explanation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-momnesia-real-scientists-biological-explanation.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news708795421 An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-effectiveness-rsv-antibodies-infants-viral.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:03 EDT news708778321 A nutrition program for pregnant women inspired by ancestral dietary patterns and adapted to locally available foods in Ecuador increased growth in a key fetal brain region, according to a study led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The study is published in the Sept. 8 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-ancestral-diet-pregnancy-trial-boosts.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:40:12 EDT news708769382 Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death. Even after a healthy delivery, mother and baby can go home only to show signs of a postpartum hypertensive disorder days or weeks later. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-ai-pathologists-preeclampsia-advancing-diagnosis.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:40:04 EDT news708688741 Researchers using a portable MRI scanner found that measurable differences in brain volumes emerged at around 12 months of age, offering some of the earliest evidence yet that maternal anemia shapes infant brain development in the first year of life and beyond. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-anemia-pregnancy-linked-differences-babies.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:20:14 EDT news708168182 University of Manchester scientists have uncovered a hidden role for immune cells in the womb, opening the door to new treatments for infertility, miscarriage and other reproductive conditions that affect millions of women worldwide. The findings are a breakthrough in our understanding of women's reproductive biology, one of the most underresearched areas of medicine, despite infertility and pregnancy complications affecting millions of families. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-hidden-immune-cells-key-tackling.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:00:01 EDT news708081166 Scientists have found that targeting a particular group of proteins in the uterus muscle (myometrium) can suppress human uterine contractions in laboratory studies and delay preterm birth in a preclinical model. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-uterine-ion-channels-potential-delay.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:00:10 EDT news707664781 Researchers at University College Dublin (UCD) have published the full study protocol for Bump2Baby & Me+ (B2B&Me+) in the journal PLOS One. The study tests how a digital health coaching program for pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes performs when it moves out of a clinical trial and into routine hospital care. The publication coincides with the close of the study's recruitment phase, which began in December 2025 across hospitals in Ireland, Spain, Poland and Norway. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-country-digital-health-everyday-maternity.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news707473296 Cambridge scientists have identified a key protein that could act as a predictor for preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, two of the major causes of stillbirth and illness among mothers and newborns. The discovery helps explain why placental cells fail to properly "invade" the uterus in these related conditions and could lead to tests that help identify those at greatest risk and new treatments. The findings are published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-preeclampsia-discovery-treatments-pregnancies.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:00:03 EDT news707389861 Forever chemicals have been linked to preterm births, miscarriage, preeclampsia and lower birth weights. Now, a first-of-its-kind study published in Environmental Science & Technology may offer clues about why. UC San Francisco Associate Professor Joshua Robinson, Ph.D., of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and colleagues conducted what they believe is the first comprehensive study to examine how forever chemicals may alter proteins in donated human placental cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-chemicals-pregnant-women-fetuses.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:40:08 EDT news707051362 Researchers have uncovered a biological mechanism that helps explain why hepatitis E virus infections can be especially severe—and often fatal—during pregnancy, finding that normal pregnancy-related hormonal changes inadvertently trigger a cascade allowing the virus to thrive. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pregnancy-deadly-hepatitis-outcomes.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:00:08 EDT news706981382 A study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that the increased risk of preterm birth associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) is linked to the body's immune response to the infection rather than to the bacteria themselves. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-responses-urinary-tract-infection.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:00:14 EDT news706964466 A common diabetes medication can reduce the risk of early and preterm births for mothers at high metabolic risk, according to new research led by Monash University. Published in NEJM Evidence, the study investigated whether metformin, a low-cost oral prescription medication used to manage blood sugar, could help prevent gestational diabetes and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, including early birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-common-diabetes-medication-preterm-birth.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:07:55 EDT news706954038 A combination of training, quality improvement and leadership support in hospitals across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to fewer stillbirths and deaths among newborns during the first 24 hours of life, according to a study led by Karolinska Institutet and published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-maternity-linked-stillbirths-newborn-deaths.html Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:00:06 EDT news706883333 A new model developed by researchers at Kumamoto University and collaborators from Tohoku University and Kyushu University could advance research into preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. The team has developed a robust method for producing human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) from late-gestation placentas, opening a new avenue for studying pregnancy complications using patient-derived cells. The work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stem-cells-derived-patient-placentas.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:40:07 EDT news706880161 Iron deficiency is one of the world's most common nutritional disorders, affecting millions of women and children globally. Yet diagnosing it remains difficult in many low-resource settings, where access to laboratories and trained health care workers is limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-rapid-iron-treatment-worldwide.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news706445076