https://medicalxpress.com/pregnancy-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Pregnancy Vaccination against a common respiratory virus during pregnancy lowers the risk of severe disease in babies by 74%, but uptake in many countries remains low, a new review suggests. The report also reveals evidence of lower uptake of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine among some socioeconomic and ethnic groups, those with reduced access to health care and younger mothers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-global-stark-differences-maternal-rsv.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:18 EDT news710592421 Receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of major pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, with a greater reduction in risk seen among women vaccinated at an earlier age, according to a large Swedish study published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-hpv-vaccination-pregnancy-linked-preterm.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:07 EDT news710588281 Many pregnant women develop fungal infections, which are often treated with widely used azole-based antifungal medicines. A new study involving researchers from the DTU National Food Institute and Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) suggests that the use of these medicines during pregnancy may be associated with changes in fetal hormone production, with effects persisting in children after birth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-antifungal-pregnancy-link-hormone-babies.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:20:18 EDT news710510761 Exposure to GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs around conception is not linked to a clearly detectable increase in adverse outcomes for mothers or babies, according to the largest study of its kind, involving more than 2.1 million pregnancies and led by researchers at City St George's. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-pregnancy-glp-exposure-conception-largest.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:09 EDT news710419321 In addition to their established role in fighting pathogens, certain maternal immune cells (neutrophils) can support early placental development by helping placental cells migrate into the uterine lining. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-placenta-redirects-immune-cells-early.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:40:06 EDT news710411641 Understanding how fetal DNA travels in a pregnant woman's blood could unlock the next generation of prenatal screening, according to a new paper published in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-fetal-dna-maternal-blood-prenatal.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:00:19 EDT news710067797 Heel-prick blood samples from newborns can be used to measure antibodies against group B Streptococcus, according to a new study from Aarhus University published in The Lancet Microbe journal. In the longer term, the method could contribute to the development of vaccines designed to protect infants against serious infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-heel-blood-samples-newborns-important.html Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:40:05 EDT news710165341 More U.S. women are being prescribed GLP-1 medications after giving birth, particularly those diagnosed with diabetes, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-glp-prescriptions-mothers-sharply.html Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:20:14 EDT news710084510 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children may be associated with problems with placental health during late pregnancy, according to a new study by University of Iowa Health Care researchers. The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, help identify a risk factor in pregnancy that is linked to ADHD in children and potentially point to new treatment targets for ADHD. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-late-pregnancy-placental-problems-higher.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:00:09 EDT news710006041 New research to be presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept. 28–Oct. 2), and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health shows that the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) drugs for diabetes and weight management in women living with diabetes is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in most cases. The findings are based on a review and meta-analysis of available studies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-glp-1s-safe-diabetes-pregnancy.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:00:26 EDT news709979161 During pregnancy, the human embryo is initially supplied with nutrients through the yolk sac; later, the placenta takes over this role. It consists of maternal and embryonic tissue, through whose blood vessels the mother's blood flows. An interdisciplinary research team at Hannover Medical School (MHH) has demonstrated in a mouse model that tiny, localized blood clots at the interface between maternal and embryonic tissue play an important regulatory role during placental development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-tiny-blood-clots-placenta-mouse.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:40:07 EDT news709898988 Children of mothers with depression had higher rates of certain neurodevelopmental disorders regardless of whether they were exposed to antidepressants in the womb, according to a new study led by Saraid McIlvride of the University of Glasgow, U.K. The study was published Sept. 29 in the journal PLOS Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-prenatal-exposure-depression-linked-neurodevelopmental.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:00:08 EDT news709895221 Within breastfeeding research, there's a widely recognized need to move beyond using only the duration of breastfeeding as the measure of "successful breastfeeding" and to integrate person-centered outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-revisits-breastfeeding-success-consequences-parents.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:40:06 EDT news709826369 A decade of uterus transplantation in the United States has resulted in dozens of healthy births and steadily improving surgical outcomes, according to a new national review led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-uterus-transplants-women-successful-pregnancies.html Sun, 27 Sep 2026 09:00:01 EDT news709552344 We tend to think of a fetus's brain as a construction site guided by a blueprint imprinted in the genes. But even before birth, other things are happening. The fetus moves, responds to muffled sounds, receives stimuli and, crucially, its own nervous system is already generating activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-pregnancy-linked-smaller-visual-cortex.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:30:01 EDT news709546376 Gestational diabetes has become increasingly common in Sweden, particularly among women with less education, lower incomes and those born outside the country, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The researchers also found that the relationship between gestational diabetes and complications during pregnancy and childbirth differs among population groups. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-reveals-differences-gestational-diabetes-social.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news709464329 The brain is often described in terms of cells and wiring. However, much of it is made of lipids that form the membranes of neurons, wrap nerve fibers with myelin and help brain cells send and receive signals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-mouse-brain-lipids-reveals-biochemical.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:00:04 EDT news709393441 A systematic review of the scientific literature on mobile phone use during pregnancy and fetal outcomes examines the potential health effects of exposure. While some studies included in the review found no significant association between short- or long-term mobile phone use and major pregnancy outcomes, most associated prolonged or intensive use with a range of adverse outcomes, particularly cardiovascular abnormalities and shorter gestational duration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-potential-health-effects-mobile-pregnancy.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:00:07 EDT news709387677 Shajila Siricilla, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, and Jennifer Herington, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, led a team that systematically screened 1,191 FDA-approved drugs and found that several candidates met criteria supporting further evaluation as potential treatments for preterm labor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-asthma-drug-potential-preterm-labor.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:00:27 EDT news709377781 New research has found that mothers with poor sleep quality in late pregnancy had babies with lower weight in the first six months of life but higher weight at ages 1–2 years. This effect was strongest in male infants and in babies born at term. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-mothers-poor-quality-late-pregnancy.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:10:01 EDT news709213801 Infections that, in rare cases, can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to the fetus are linked to an increased risk of autism and intellectual disability in the child. This is shown by a study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rare-pregnancy-infections-linked-autism.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:00:04 EDT news708952201 Why do food cravings become so strong during pregnancy? Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with colleagues, have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how pregnancy changes motivation to seek certain highly palatable foods. This collaborative study was led by Dr. Yanlin He of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, together with Dr. Pingwen Xu of the University of Illinois Chicago and Dr. Chunmei Wang of Baylor College of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-brain-circuit-linked-food-cravings.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:40:06 EDT news708953132 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