Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Uterine balloon tamponade is almost 86% effective in preventing maternal mortality from hemorrhaging

According to the World Health Organization's latest statistics, from 2017, more than 800 women around the world die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth -- the vast majority of them in resource-poor areas.

6 Jan 2020

Coping with loss of hospital, rural town realizes: We don’t need a hospital

Dr. Max Self grabbed a sanitary wipe and cleaned off the small flashlight in his hands. More than 20 years as a family doctor in rural Fort Scott, Kan., has taught him a few tricks: "I've got my flashlight. See? Look, you want to hold it?"

26 Dec 2019

Pilot study to explore vaginal birth-induced pelvic floor injury and recovery

If a new mother sustains an injury to her levator ani muscle--the main muscle supporting the pelvic floor--during vaginal childbirth, that woman is at risk of developing a pelvic floor disorder. Such an injury can have a substantial impact on a woman's quality of life.

22 Dec 2019

Yang and Sanders use maternal mortality stats to talk about race

In an exchange about racial inequality at December's Democratic presidential primary debate, businessman Andrew Yang highlighted jaw-droppingly different health outcomes between black and white women, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders picked up that thread.

20 Dec 2019

Almost one in two Americans will be obese by 2030

A shocking new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reveals that by 2030, just a decade away, almost half of all Americans will be suffering from obesity – making this the biggest epidemic ever in history. And that’s not all – half of these obese individuals will be severely obese, or, to put it in simple terms, they will be over their expected weight by more than 100 pounds.

19 Dec 2019

Pregnant women living with HIV may not receive the recommended treatment

Pregnant women with HIV may not receive medications that are in line with current recommendations, according to a recent study.

18 Dec 2019

Minority stress adds an extra layer to fear of childbirth

In order to help people with fear of childbirth, there must be trust between the patient and the healthcare staff. But for many lesbian and bisexual women and transgender people, this trust never develops. These are the results of a study in the journal Midwifery from researchers at Linköping University.

16 Dec 2019

It’s not just you: Picking health insurance is hard. Here’s how to be smart about it.

Science has proved, no kidding around: Picking health insurance is extremely hard.

9 Dec 2019

Black mothers get less treatment for postpartum depression than other moms

Portia Smith’s most vivid memories of her daughter’s first year are of tears. Not the baby’s. Her own.

6 Dec 2019

Preterm birth could be spotted early by ultrasound

A new presentation at the 178th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in San Diego will report on ultrasound as used in pregnancy, especially with respect to the comparison of two sets of data derived from two separate ultrasound techniques to evaluate cervical changes. The researchers claim that both ultrasound techniques help to estimate the attenuation coefficient of human cervical tissue, and to thus assess changes in it, providing a better picture of the true risk for preterm birth thereby.

4 Dec 2019

Rural women experience higher rates pregnancy complications than urban peers

Women in rural communities experience higher rates of life-threatening complications during or after childbirth than mothers in urban cities, a new study finds.

4 Dec 2019

Fertility treatments cause epigenetic changes in mouse embryos, study finds

Though epigenetic disorders - diseases caused by faulty gene expression - are still rare overall, babies born using fertility treatments have up to an 11-fold higher risk of inheriting them.

26 Nov 2019

Inducing labor after 41 weeks appears to be safer in terms of perinatal survival

Inducing labor after 41 instead of 42 full weeks' pregnancy appears to be safer in terms of perinatal survival, new Swedish research shows. The current study is expected to provide a key piece of evidence for upcoming decisions in maternity care.

21 Nov 2019

New research project could help reduce unnecessary C-sections in Ireland

A new research project at Trinity College Dublin could have far-reaching implications for the management of labour, making monitoring less intrusive and potentially reducing the number of unnecessary caesarean sections in Ireland.

21 Nov 2019

Embarrassing symptoms prevent women from seeking treatment for pelvic floor disorders

Nearly 25% of women live with treatable conditions known as pelvic floor disorders, but there is one main reason why the vast majority of them will not seek treatment: they are too embarrassed to talk about it.

20 Nov 2019

Antibiotics face an existential crisis

Antibiotics are facing an existential crisis less than a century after their introduction. The bacteria-fighting drugs are becoming less effective as a result of their overuse in both humans and animals.

18 Nov 2019

UIC and IDPH receive $9.5 million grant to improve maternal outcomes in Illinois

A $9.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will help the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Illinois Department of Public Health improve maternal outcomes in Illinois.

18 Nov 2019

Acute kidney injury on the rise in hospitalized pregnant women

A study presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 (November 5 to November 10) shows that the rate of acute kidney injury (AKI) is rising among US women who are hospitalized in pregnancy. The highest risk is in pregnant diabetic women. Women who suffer acute damage to the kidney while pregnant have 260 times the risk of death while in hospital compared to other pregnant women, at 2.6% vs 0.01%. Both mother and baby are at risk of increased illness and death if the woman has kidney injury during pregnancy.

11 Nov 2019

APHA adopts 14 new public health policy statements at 2019 Annual Meeting

The American Public Health Association's Governing Council adopted 14 new policy statements at its 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia today, covering topics such as environmental justice, drinking water safety and attacks on health workers.

6 Nov 2019

Bortezomib drug helps re-balance disrupted muscle growth, prevent contractures

When children experience brachial plexus injury at birth, or are born with cerebral palsy, some of the most disabling problems that follow are muscle contractures, or tightness of muscles, that severely restrict limb function.

29 Oct 2019