Pregnancy and Childbirth News

August 20, 2016

Unhealthy Diet in Pregnancy Linked to ADHD?

Prenatal BPA Exposure Linked to Anxiety in Boys

Celiac Disease Risk Linked to Season of Birth?

Surgical Stitch Linked to Stillbirth and ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:59am EDT

Ethnicity of Women Undergoing Fertility Treatment Can Affect Outcomes, Study Finds

Aug. 18, 2016 — The ethnicity of women undergoing fertility treatments like IVF can affect the rate of successful live births, according to new research. After ... read more

Study Identifies How Zika Virus Infects the Placenta

Aug. 18, 2016 — In a new study, researchers demonstrate Zika virus infection of cells derived from human placentas. The research provides insight into how Zika virus may be transmitted from expectant mother to ... read more

Study Quantifies Risk Factors for Preterm Birth

Aug. 17, 2016 — A significant portion of preterm births might be avoided by reducing or eliminating three major risk factors: abnormalities in the interval between pregnancies, the mother's body mass index prior to ... read more

Roadblocks to Research: Bioethicist Addresses Lack of HIV Studies in Pregnant Women

Aug. 17, 2016 — A new study is addressing the urgent need for effective HIV prevention and treatment for the estimated 1.5 million women worldwide with HIV who give ... read more

Is Acetaminophen Use When Pregnant Associated With Kids' Behavioral Problems?

Aug. 15, 2016 — Using the common pain-relieving medication acetaminophen during pregnancy was associated with increased risk for multiple behavioral problems in ... read more

Study Links Child Obesity at Age 9-11 Years to Gestational Diabetes in Mother

Aug. 11, 2016 — New research shows an increased risk of childhood obesity at age 9-11 years when the mother has had gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Childhood ... read more

Cancer Drug for Mums-to-Be May Curb Baby Girls' Future Fertility

Aug. 10, 2016 — Chemotherapy treatment during pregnancy may affect the future fertility of unborn baby girls, a study suggests. Researchers have found that a drug called etoposide can damage the development of mouse ... read more

Frozen Embryos More Effective Than Fresh in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Aug. 10, 2016 — Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who receive frozen embryos during in vitro fertilization have safer and more successful pregnancies than ... read more

US Maternal Mortality Rates Higher Than Reported, Study Finds

Aug. 10, 2016 — Despite the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of a 75 percent reduction in maternal deaths by 2015, the estimated maternal mortality rate for 48 US states and the District of Columbia ... read more

Research Evaluates 18-Month Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Single-Family Room NICU

Aug. 9, 2016 — The single-family room NICU increases maternal involvement, which results in better short and long-term neurobehavioral outcomes in preterm babies, ... read more

Researchers Probe Mysteries of the Placenta

Pregnant Women Getting Tested for Zika in Miami

Portable Device Enables Pregnant Women to Monitor Baby's Health

Breastfeeding Is Really Good For Babies, But Millions Can't Do It

Antipsychotic Medication Poses Little Risk to Developing Fetus

Aug. 17, 2016 — Researchers found that the use of APMs in pregnancy does not meaningfully increase the risk of congenital malformations or cardiac malformations, with the possible exception of ... read more

New, Improved Guidelines for Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Aug. 10, 2016 — A group of experts on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders has produced proposed clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD, which can result when a mother drinks during pregnancy. The proposed guidelines ... read more

New Method Opens Up the Possibility of Customizing Breast Milk for Premature Children

Aug. 9, 2016 — There is a difference between breast milk from women who give birth prematurely and from women who give birth to full-term babies. However, a new research method has demonstrated that this difference ... read more

New Findings and Research Methods Leading to Elucidation of Fertilization Mechanism

Aug. 9, 2016 — A Japanese research group has determined the crystal structure of the JUNO protein, an egg surface protein essential for fertilization. These structure-based mutational analyses elucidated a ... read more

Scientists Identify Down's Syndrome Gene

Aug. 9, 2016 — Geneticists have identified an enzyme that regulates the production of sperm and egg cells in human reproduction, and may be linked to Down's Syndrome, Edward's Syndrome and other ... read more

Could Thiamine-Fortified Fish Sauce Help Fight Infant Beriberi in Southeast Asia?

Aug. 8, 2016 — Beriberi in infants is a public health concern with reports in parts of Southeast Asia. Caused by thiamine (B1) deficiency, beriberi generally presents among breastfed infants at three months. A ... read more

Largest-Ever Whole Genome Autism Study Yields Clues on How Autism-Linked Gene Changes Arise

Aug. 4, 2016 — A new study expands understanding of autism's complex causes and may hold clues for the future development of targeted treatments. The report is the largest-ever whole genome study of autism, ... read more

Vitamin D Levels May Drop When Women Stop Using Birth Control

Aug. 4, 2016 — Women risk having their vitamin D levels fall when they stop using birth control pills or other contraceptives containing estrogen, according to a new ... read more

The Force Is Strong With Embryo Cells

Aug. 3, 2016 — For a cell in an embryo, the secret to becoming part of the baby's body instead of the placenta is to contract more and carry on dancing, scientists have found. The study could one day have ... read more

Consumption of Natural Estrogens in Cow's Milk Does Not Affect Blood Levels or Reproductive Health

Aug. 3, 2016 — A new study investigated cow milk's effects on blood hormone levels in adult mice and found that naturally occurring levels, and even levels as high as 100 times the average, had no effect on ... read more

Researchers Shed New Light on Signals That Trigger Labor and Delivery

Aug. 3, 2016 — In a normal full-term pregnancy, signals from the mature organs of the fetus and the aging placental membranes and placenta prompt the uterus' muscular walls to begin the labor and delivery ... read more

Collateral Harm: Impact of Ebola, Related Fears on Facility-Based Child Deliveries

Aug. 2, 2016 — The first known household survey examining the collateral harm to pregnancy services in areas affected by the West African Ebola epidemic suggests a significant slide backwards in child and maternal ... read more

CDC Issues Travel Guidance Related to Miami Neighborhood With Active Zika Spread

Aug. 2, 2016 — New assessments of mosquito populations and test results this past weekend by Florida public health officials, as part of a community survey in the Miami neighborhood where several Zika infections ... read more

Florida Investigation Links Four Recent Zika Cases to Local Mosquito-Borne Virus Transmission

July 29, 2016 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been informed by the State of Florida that Zika virus infections in four people were likely caused by bites of local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ... read more

Conception Timed With Periods of Low Mosquito Activity Could Reduce Zika Virus Infection

July 28, 2016 — Women could prevent contracting the mosquito-borne Zika virus while pregnant by timing the first months of pregnancy with seasonal declines in mosquito activity. The paper is the first to suggest ... read more

Updated Position Statement on Noninvasive Prenatal Screening for Detection of Fetal Aneuploidy

July 28, 2016 — Noninvasive prenatal screening using cell-free placental DNA circulating in maternal blood (NIPS) has been rapidly integrated into prenatal care since the American College of Medical Genetics and ... read more

Zika, Other Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Pose Threat to Travelers

July 28, 2016 — Mosquitoes in the Aedes family can transmit not only the Zika virus, but also dengue and chikungunya. Travelers visiting regions affected by these diseases should take steps to protect themselves, ... read more

Successful Treatment for a Severe Case of Fetal Lung Disorder CPAM

July 28, 2016 — A successful treatment has now been conducted for the fetal lung disorder Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformattion (CPAM), also known as Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation (CCAM). By ... read more

Valley Fever Diagnosis Often Missed

July 28, 2016 — For patients with pneumonia or ongoing influenza-like symptoms who live in or have visited the west or southwest United States, especially Arizona and central California, infectious diseases experts ... read more

Studies in Mice Provide Insights Into Antibody-Zika Virus Interactions

July 27, 2016 — In research that could inform prophylactic treatment approaches for pregnant women at risk of Zika virus infection, investigators conducted experiments in mice and identified six Zika virus ... read more

Wednesday, August 17, 2016