https://medicalxpress.com/pregnancy-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Pregnancy In one of the largest studies of chemical exposures during pregnancy to date, new research led by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Stanford University School of Medicine and Woods Institute for the Environment has found that pregnant women are exposed to dozens of everyday chemicals, many of which can affect how early a child is born or a child's weight at birth. These outcomes influence a child's health throughout life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-everyday-chemical-exposures-linked-preterm.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:00:20 EDT news700820101 Fetal growth restriction may affect babies' heart rate, pain response, brain structure, growth and early development long after birth, according to a new study led by UCL and King's College London researchers. For the first time, a study has tracked the growth of babies diagnosed with fetal growth restriction from 14 weeks' gestation to 6 years of age. The authors of the new Scientific Reports paper found that differences experienced in utero, such as higher heart rate and lower weight, can persist after birth and cause compounding disadvantages into early childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-babies-fetal-growth-restriction-years.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:00:03 EDT news700831443 New research has found signs that may help researchers better understand why some babies are born early. Some signs are present as early as the first trimester. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-molecular-clues-maternal-blood-preterm.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:20:01 EDT news700846321 Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) affects approximately 0.2–2% of pregnant women and typically develops after 30 weeks of gestation. As the most common symptom is severe itching of the palms and the soles of the feet, the condition can often be identified during routine prenatal care. The diagnosis is confirmed by elevated liver enzyme levels and increased concentrations of bile acids in the blood. Although the condition usually resolves after delivery, it is associated with an increased risk of complications, including preterm birth and stillbirth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-large-scale-genetic-uncovers-factors.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:20:08 EDT news700843921 Gestational diabetes is most commonly associated with temporary disturbances in glucose metabolism during pregnancy. However, growing evidence shows that its consequences may extend far beyond pregnancy itself—affecting a child's health even before birth and increasing the risk of obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes later in life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gestational-diabetes-affect-child-health.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:24:59 EDT news700367017 Mounting evidence links extreme heat to preterm (often called premature) birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, indicating that rising temperatures are contributing to worse health outcomes for pregnant people and newborns. Preterm birth is already a leading cause of infant illness and death worldwide, with an estimated 12 to 15 million babies born too early each year, meaning even modest increases in heat-related risk could have substantial global consequences. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dose-aspirin-offset-premature-birth.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:00:04 EDT news699878701 A study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC published in JAMA Network Open, found that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during pregnancy reduced the risk of hospitalization in young infants by nearly 70%. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-maternal-rsv-vaccine-infant-hospitalizations.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news699784921 When a person goes through a traumatic experience, they often find themselves thinking that what happened could have been different or even avoided. This process, known as counterfactual thinking, is an automatic psychological response to adverse events. Now, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports explores how this type of thinking affects women who have suffered an early pregnancy loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-early-pregnancy-loss-affects-week.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news699790561 Becoming a mother changes the brain not just temporarily, but for life. Pregnancy and the postpartum period trigger lasting changes in the maternal brain through the brain chemical dopamine, producing long-term benefits to learning, memory, and maternal behavior, a process disrupted by chronic postpartum stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-motherhood-lifelong-brain-dopamine-linked.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:06 EDT news699787921 Postpartum and perinatal depression are known challenges for those going through pregnancy, but there has been less focus on the more prevalent disorder of anxiety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-anxiety-pregnancy-priority.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news699707941 New evidence has emerged showing that diabetes developed during pregnancy is likely an early manifestation of type 2 diabetes, triggered by the stresses pregnancy places on the body. In the largest study of its kind, University of Queensland researchers collaborated with the Genetics of Diabetes In Pregnancy (GenDIP) Consortium to analyze data from more than 38,000 women with gestational diabetes and 776,000 without the condition, finding significant genetic similarities between the two conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-gestational-diabetes-strong-genetic-links.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:40:02 EDT news699546901 The largest and most comprehensive study of memory and cognition in new parents has found no evidence for "baby brain" in mums and dads. New mums often complain about having "baby brain," where memory and cognition become vague and unreliable. Now a Monash University study—the largest ever done comparing cognitive ability in new mums and dads—has unequivocally found no evidence that "baby brain" reflects underlying problems with cognition that result from becoming a parent. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-baby-brain-myth-parents-cognition.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:40:10 EDT news699529307 Moving more and sitting less could lower the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-movement-pregnancy-linked-complications.html Fri, 29 May 2026 12:20:03 EDT news699274223 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have uncovered a substantial genetic component to postpartum psychosis, a rare but severe psychiatric illness that occurs in the days to weeks after childbirth. The findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, provide new evidence that the condition has a substantial biological and genetic basis and may help guide future research into prediction, prevention, and treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-uncover-substantial-genetic-component-postpartum.html Fri, 29 May 2026 11:40:11 EDT news699269989