Pregnancy and Childbirth News

September 9, 2016

Maternal Smoking Could Lead to Tic Disorders

Autism Severity Linked to Genetics, Ultrasound

How Obesity May Pass from Mom to Child

Zika: Multiple Brain Effects Beyond Microcephaly

Latest Headlines

updated 12:59am EDT

Steroid Treatment for IVF Problems May Do More Harm Than Good

Sep. 8, 2016 — Researchers are urging doctors and patients to refrain from using a specific steroid treatment to treat infertility in women unless clinically indicated, because of its links to miscarriage, preterm ... read more

Ten Year Time Limit on Storing Human Eggs Should Be Scrapped, Says New Research

Sep. 8, 2016 — The 10 year statutory time limit on the storage of human eggs should be scrapped to allow women to freeze their eggs for longer periods, according to ... read more

Twins Should Be Delivered at 37 Weeks to Minimize Deaths, Say Experts

Sep. 6, 2016 — Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks' gestation to minimize stillbirths and newborn deaths, and there is no clear evidence to support routine delivery before 36 weeks' gestation, finds a large ... read more

Cesarean Delivery May Lead to Increased Risk of Obesity Among Offspring

Sep. 6, 2016 — Individuals born by cesarean delivery were 15 percent more likely to become obese as children than individuals born by vaginal birth -- and the increased risk may persist through adulthood, according ... read more

MRIs in First Trimester of Pregnancy Not Associated With Increased Risk to Fetus, Study Shows

Sep. 6, 2016 — Performing an MRI on a woman in the early part of pregnancy does not increase the risk of her baby being stillborn, dying soon after birth or having ... read more

Reduced Fetal Size Linked to Increased Asthma Risk and Reduced Lung Function in Children

Sep. 5, 2016 — New research shows that reduced fetal size is linked to increased asthma risk and reduced lung function in children aged 5 to 15 ... read more

Bacterial Membrane Vesicles Can Cause Preterm Birth

Sep. 1, 2016 — A new study reports that GBS produces membrane-bound vesicles containing bacterial factors that can attack the host tissue. In mice, the study shows, these vesicles can move ... read more

Induced Labor After Water Breakage Poses No Harm to Mothers or Babies, Research Finds

Sep. 1, 2016 — Natural, spontaneous deliveries and induced deliveries following the rupture of the amniotic sac in the mother share similar neonatal outcomes, ... read more

Chemical in Plastics Linked to Genital Abnormalities in Baby Boys

Sep. 1, 2016 — Doctors and researchers know that human-made chemicals commonly found in plastics, foods, personal care products and building materials can interfere with how hormones like estrogen and testosterone ... read more

High Alcohol Intake Associated With Slightly Decreased Female Fertility

Aug. 31, 2016 — Women who drink 14 or more servings of alcohol a week are slightly more likely to have reduced fertility, suggests a new study. In developed countries, up to 24% of couples experience infertility, ... read more

This Program May Reduce Childbirth Deaths In Areas That Need It Most

Rates Of Pregnancy-Related Deaths Have Doubled In Texas

Researchers Probe Mysteries of the Placenta

Pregnant Women Getting Tested for Zika in Miami

Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Oral Contraceptive Cost Sharing

Sep. 7, 2016 — Researchers have examined how the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring most commercial insurance plans to cover Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, without cost sharing ... read more

Genome-Wide Toxoplasma Screen Reveals Mechanisms of Parasitic Infections

Sep. 1, 2016 — Researchers have conducted the first genome-wide screen in Apicomplexa, a phylum of single-celled parasites that cause diseases such as malaria and toxoplasmosis. The screen sheds light into the ... read more

Newer Epilepsy Drugs Taken While Pregnant Not Linked to Lower IQs in Children

Aug. 31, 2016 — Two newer epilepsy drugs may not harm the thinking skills or IQs of school-aged children whose mothers took them while pregnant -- but an older drug is linked to cognitive problems in children, ... read more

Cannabinoid Receptor Activates Spermatozoa

Aug. 30, 2016 — Biologists have detected a cannabinoid receptor in spermatozoa. Endogenous cannabinoids that occur in both the male and the female genital tract activate the spermatozoa: they trigger the so-called ... read more

Increasing Nursing Mothers' Vitamin D Levels May Benefit Babies

Aug. 30, 2016 — New research has found that giving breastfeeding mothers monthly high-dose vitamin D supplements may be a possible way to improve their babies' vitamin D status. Vitamin D is essential for ... read more

Folic Acid Fortified Food Linked to Decline in Congenital Heart Defects

Aug. 29, 2016 — Food fortified with folic acid helped lower overall rates of congenital heart defects in Canada. The effect was evident in some types of congenital heart defects but not ... read more

Breast Milk Sugar May Protect Babies Against Deadly Infection

Aug. 26, 2016 — A type of sugar found naturally in some women’s breast milk may protect newborn babies from infection with a potentially life threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus, according to a new ... read more

Baby Simulator Program May Make Teenage Girls More, Not Less, Likely to Become Pregnant

Aug. 25, 2016 — A teenage pregnancy prevention program involving a baby simulator does not appear to have any long-term effect on reducing the risk of teenage pregnancy, according to the first randomized controlled ... read more

Fracking Chemicals Exposure May Harm Fertility in Female Mice

Aug. 25, 2016 — Prenatal exposure to chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may threaten fertility in female mice, according to a new ... read more

Zika Virus May Persist in the Vagina Days After Infection

Aug. 25, 2016 — The Zika virus reproduces in the vaginal tissue of pregnant mice several days after infection, according to a new study. From the genitals, the virus spreads and infects the fetal brain, impairing ... read more

New Mouse Model of Zika Sexual Transmission Shows Spread to Fetal Brain

Aug. 25, 2016 — The Zika virus, commonly transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito, is also capable of leaping from person to person through sexual transmission. However, the mechanisms Zika uses to ... read more

New Technique Takes Guesswork out of IVF Embryo Selection

Aug. 25, 2016 — Researchers have successfully trialed a new technique that could aid the process of choosing the "best" embryo for implantation, helping to boost the chances of pregnancy success from the ... read more

Mapping Pluripotency Differences Between Mice, Monkeys, and Humans

Aug. 25, 2016 — New research shows that certain primate stem cells have pluripotency superior to some types derived from mice. The study maps how pluripotency differs among mice, monkeys, and humans, and illustrates ... read more

Zika Virus Detected in Newborn Until 2 Months After Birth

Aug. 24, 2016 — Researchers outline the case of a baby born with Zika infection in January 2016, who remained infected by the virus even two months and one week after birth. This is the first reported case of ... read more

You Want Shorter ER Stays? Bring in the Nurses

Aug. 24, 2016 — Protocols allowing nurses to administer certain types of treatment in the emergency department can dramatically shorten length of stay for patients with fever, chest pain, hip fractures and vaginal ... read more

Non-Travel Zika Cases in Florida Could Approach 400 by Summer’s End

Aug. 24, 2016 — Nearly 400 non travel-related Zika infections will occur in Florida before the end of the summer, according to new projections by ... read more

Team Discovers How Zika Virus Causes Fetal Brain Damage

Aug. 24, 2016 — Infection by the Zika virus diverts a key protein necessary for neural cell division in the developing human fetus, thereby causing the birth defect microcephaly, a team of scientists ... read more

First Randomized Trial Shows IVF Culture Media Affect the Outcomes of Embryos and Babies

Aug. 24, 2016 — Fertility experts are calling on the companies who make the solutions in which embryos are cultured during in vitro fertilization (IVF) to give a clear list of ingredients following publication of a ... read more

New Report Details Pre And Postnatal Brain Defects from Zika Virus

Aug. 23, 2016 — Researchers from the epicenter of the current Zika virus outbreak have released a report on imaging findings in babies and fetuses infected with the Zika virus. Zika virus is most dangerous when ... read more

Reframing Body Weight as Baby Weight May Help Women Handle Pregnancy

Aug. 23, 2016 — Pregnant women often rely on two identities -- a pregnant self and a non-pregnant self -- to help them navigate the profound psychological and physiological effects that pregnancy has on their body ... read more

Wednesday, September 7, 2016