https://medicalxpress.com/pregnancy-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Pregnancy 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 Tiny, near-invisible fragments of plastic shed from the products we use every day through sunlight and mechanical wear have been quietly working their way deep into the human body. Microplastics have already been found in the human brain, semen and even the placenta. A recent study investigated how these micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) might move through the placenta and whether they affect a baby's development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-microplastics-placenta-barrier-disrupt-key.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:20:04 EDT news705055580 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 A research team from the School of Nursing at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has found that video-call support from trained peer mothers helped first-time mothers breastfeed more successfully. Among mothers who received this support, the study revealed a 42.6% relative increase in the number of mothers exclusively breastfeeding their babies at two months after birth, along with greater confidence in breastfeeding. This is the first-of-its-kind randomized clinical trial in Hong Kong to evaluate video-call-based peer support for breastfeeding and is also one of the first trials globally to rigorously examine the effectiveness of this digital approach in improving breastfeeding outcomes. The research findings were published in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-video-based-peer-boost-breastfeeding.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news704980381 An evidence review of international research suggests widespread misconceptions within the medical community about early milk production, pacifiers and breast pumps may be undermining breastfeeding success in the critical first days after birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hours-hospital-routines-undermine-breastfeeding.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:10:01 EDT news704619421 Researchers from the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (Wits VIDA) Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) have played a leading role in an international phase 1/2 clinical trial demonstrating the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational maternal vaccine against Group B Streptococcus (GBS)—a major cause of life-threatening infections in newborns worldwide. The findings have been published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-trial-maternal-vaccine-newborns-group.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:40:01 EDT news704540768 Pregnancy places extra strain on the kidneys, and for women with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD), around half will experience a decline in kidney function during pregnancy. Despite these risks, outcomes for pregnant women with CKD have changed little over the past 30 years, and many of the treatments used to manage kidney disease are not safe during pregnancy, meaning women often need to stop their medication for at least nine months. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-beetroot-juice-benefit-pregnant-women.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:20:04 EDT news704534282 Prenatal alcohol exposure—a contributor to adverse pregnancy outcomes and the leading preventable cause of neurodevelopmental disability worldwide—has increased in the United States over the past decade. The new paper by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is published in JAMA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-upward-trend-alcohol-pregnancy.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:00:16 EDT news704366411 Unusual behavior in the cells of mothers and babies with preeclampsia may provide new therapeutic targets for the condition, a new UCL-led study finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-potential-therapeutic-preeclampsia.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:00:10 EDT news704023501 New research has found that a hormone is responsible for making mothers' interactions with newborns feel rewarding rather than just necessary. The University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka study, published in Science Advances, looked at how a mother's brain changes to help her devote her energy to providing for her infant's needs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mother-devotion-newborns-brain.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:40:03 EDT news704025181 Consuming common foods such as corn chips and popcorn may put pregnant women at risk of exposure to mycotoxins—harmful substances produced by mold—according to Rutgers researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-estrogen-mold-toxins-linked-corn.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:20:08 EDT news703870922 Women who experience pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or preterm delivery have a significantly increased long-term risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) later in life, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine by Casey Crump of the University of Texas, U.S., and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-pregnancy-complications-linked-term-peripheral.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:00:04 EDT news703850685 A review article by a University of Nebraska Medical Center/Child Health Research Institute research team underscores how altering fundamental brain development processes can harm the developing fetus. The publication suggests that curtailing the use of certain medications could reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental pathology in the developing fetal brain. The medications studied include some statins, antidepressants, anxiety medications and cardiovascular drugs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-attention-brain-medications-pregnancy.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:40:03 EDT news703769821 Using advanced electron microscopy, researchers in Leiden have captured detailed images showing how, in the rare pregnancy disorder FNAIT, antibodies produced by the mother can cause bleeding in fetuses. The findings, published in Science Advances, could help pave the way for a test that identifies, during pregnancy, which babies are at greatest risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-crystal-images-reveal-pregnancy-antibodies.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:40:10 EDT news703757641