Conception News and Research

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Researchers develop new dynamic statistical model to follow gene expressions over time

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new dynamic statistical model to visualize changing patterns in networks, including gene expression during developmental periods of the brain.

16 Jan 2018

Increased rate of language delay in girls linked to acetaminophen use by mothers during pregnancy

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found an elevated rate of language delay in girls at 30 months old born to mothers who used acetaminophen during pregnancy, but not in boys.

10 Jan 2018

Women who conceive while using IUD more likely to have adverse perinatal outcomes

Women who conceive while using an intrauterine contraceptive device have a greater risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight babies, bacterial infections, or losing a fetus, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Soroka University Medical Center.

8 Jan 2018

Medicaid expansions for low-income parents can lead to expanded use of prenatal care

The Medicaid expansions for low-income parents that took place in 34 states between 1996 and 2011 led to a 2.3 percent decrease in the uninsured rate among women who already had a child and became pregnant again, and a 7.9 percent decrease in the number of mothers who didn't have insurance while they were pregnant.

28 Dec 2017

Higher blood sugar during first trimester of pregnancy increases child's risk of congenital heart defect

Higher blood sugar early in pregnancy raises the baby's risk of a congenital heart defect, even among mothers who do not have diabetes, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

15 Dec 2017

Air pollution exposure before or after conception linked to increased risk of birth defects in children

Women exposed to air pollution just prior to conception or during the first month of pregnancy face an increased risk of their children being born with birth defects, such as cleft lip or palate or abnormal hearts.

11 Dec 2017

New Fertility Test Analyzer helps couples conceive faster

Fertility Test Analyzer is a new app designed to help couples conceive faster. It combines a scientific method of data acquisition with low-cost urine test strips to stand out in a topic where period calendars are the predominant format. The only requirement to use it is to have an Android device with a camera.

27 Nov 2017

IVF, ICSI pregnancies lead to increased risk of congenital heart defects in newborns

A new analysis of published studies found a 45% increased risk of congenital heart defects in newborns when women become pregnant via in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) than through spontaneous conception.

22 Nov 2017

Live births more likely to occur in women with sufficient vitamin D, research finds

Researchers are calling for a randomized clinical trial to investigate the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in improving live birth rates following assisted reproduction treatment.

15 Nov 2017

Chronic preconception exposure to genistein may adversely affect female fertility, mice study finds

Exposure to the phytoestrogen genistein prior to conception may adversely affect female fertility and pregnancy outcomes, depending on the dosage and duration of exposure, a new study in mice suggests.

14 Nov 2017

Increasing prevalence of chronic conditions linked to adverse health outcomes for moms and newborns

Pregnant women today are more likely to have chronic conditions that could cause life-threatening complications than at any other time in the past decade – particularly poor women and those living in rural communities, a new Michigan Medicine study suggests.

8 Nov 2017

Continued Paracetamol exposure during pregnancy linked to ADHD in offspring

A new study has found that long term or continued use of acetaminophen or paracetamol during pregnancy is linked to a doubled risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study entitled, “Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Risk of ADHD” was published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.

30 Oct 2017

Study finds rise in pregnancy rates among women with chronic liver disease

A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that the overall number of pregnancies in women with chronic liver disease or following liver transplantation has risen over the past 30 years.

20 Oct 2017

Umass Amherst scientist receives grant to study pollutant effects on embryos in animal models

Environmental health scientist Alicia Timme-Laragy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the health effects of two environmental pollutants, perfluoro-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and its recent replacement chemical, perfluoro-butanesulfonic (PFBS).

20 Oct 2017

Study: Many women do not follow guidelines to prevent pregnancy after bariatric surgery

Many women do not follow the guidelines to prevent pregnancy for an 18-month period following bariatric surgery, University of Pittsburgh researchers examining post-surgery contraceptive practices and conception rates report.

17 Oct 2017

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

Zika virus is mutating so fast in Brazilian patients that different serotypes of the pathogen could appear in the near future, as is already the case with dengue virus. This would hinder the production of a vaccine and impair the effectiveness of the diagnostic tests already developed.

10 Oct 2017

Study: Ovarian reserve tests do not appear to predict short-term chances of conception

Tests that estimate ovarian reserve, or the number of a woman's remaining eggs, before menopause, do not appear to predict short-term chances of conception, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study of women with no history of infertility.

10 Oct 2017

Employer-sponsored health plans spend $6 billion extra on preterm infants, study shows

A new study estimates employer-sponsored health plans spent at least $6 billion extra on infants born prematurely in 2013 and a substantial portion of that sum was spent on infants with major birth defects.

21 Sep 2017

Study shows link between obesity and low sperm quality

The journal Andologia has published the first report of abnormal sperm parameters in obese men based on computer aided sperm analysis. The findings suggest that clinicians may need to factor in paternal obesity prior to assisted reproduction.

20 Sep 2017

HPV vaccine can improve chances of conception in some women, study finds

More than 40 percent of American teens are now getting vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). But, despite HPV infection being associated with reduced semen quality and lower pregnancy rates, there is still public concern about whether the HPV vaccine itself could affect future fertility.

19 Sep 2017