Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Women with low preference to avoid pregnancy still use contraceptive methods

A new study from the University of California San Francisco and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health challenges assumptions that women with the highest preference against pregnancy use more effective contraceptive methods and that women who might welcome pregnancy do not use contraception.

16 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

Professional emotional support needed for women during high-risk pregnancies

Little is known about how women manage emotional distress during high-risk pregnancies, but Rutgers researchers learned that without psychosocial support, women struggle with fears and tears while feeling isolated and worried.

16 Dec 2019

Homeless rape victims are not seeking post-sexual assault medical care

Nearly three-fourths of young adults experiencing homelessness who are raped do not seek post-sexual assault medical care, missing an opportunity to greatly reduce their risk of contracting HIV, according to a survey led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

16 Dec 2019

Seafood consumption and mercury concentrations in vulnerable coastal Florida population

Mercury contamination of the marine environment is a global public health concern. Human exposure occurs primarily by eating seafood, especially large predatory fish such as swordfish and albacore tuna.

16 Dec 2019

Boys born small at higher risk of infertility

A new study published in the journal Human Reproduction on December 13, 2019, shows that baby boys who don’t grow as well as expected in the womb may grow up to be infertile as adults. The study showed a 55% or 85% higher risk of infertility among this group of men compared to those born with appropriate weights.

15 Dec 2019

New project aims to break the cycle of intergenerational and complex trauma

A major study led by researchers at La Trobe University in Australia has identified key themes that will be used to inform strategies to support Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents in the first years of their children's lives.

15 Dec 2019

Researchers make significant advances in developing novel Zika virus vaccine

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have made significant advances in developing a novel vaccine against Zika virus, which could potentially lead to global elimination of the disease.

14 Dec 2019

In the fight for money for the opioid crisis, will the youngest victims be left out?

Babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy represent one of the most distressing legacies of an opioid epidemic that has claimed almost 400,000 lives and ravaged communities.

13 Dec 2019

Researchers find many psychiatric disorders share the same gene variants

An international team of researchers has found that many psychiatric disorders share a common and specific set of gene variants.

13 Dec 2019

Single, higher dose of Zika vaccine to pregnant female mice protects both mom and fetus

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston showed, for the first time, that a single, higher dose of vaccination to a pregnant mouse safely protects both her and her fetus from the Zika virus.

12 Dec 2019

New insights into the most perplexing medical mysteries associated with schizophrenia

Four unsolved mysteries around schizophrenia have long plagued the medical community, but a new hypothesis identifying a common link between them and an almost forgotten epidemic of a disease called pellagra could have profound implications for our understanding of psychosis in poorer nations.

12 Dec 2019

Mice study shows the impact of taking antidepressants during pregnancy

Exposure to antidepressants during pregnancy and the first weeks of life can alter sensory processing well into adulthood, according to research in mice recently published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 11 Dec 2019

Tulane study focuses on treatment of preeclampsia

A Tulane University researcher has received a grant that will support the development of new imaging methods to improve the treatment of preeclampsia.

10 Dec 2019

Study explores Instagram users' experiences of miscarriage

About 10-20 % of all known pregnancies unfortunately end in miscarriage or the loss of a fetus. Despite its common occurrence, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding miscarriage and many women find that their emotional and psychological needs are unmet as they go through a devastating grieving process.

9 Dec 2019

Smoking during pregnancy may increase woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes

Smoking during pregnancy is one of the most significant risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. In the United States, 10.7% of all women smoke during their pregnancy or are exposed to second-hand smoke.

9 Dec 2019

Trial investigating "abortion pill reversal" stops due to safety concerns

Scientists are calling for pro-life US states to abolish an unproven medication that supposedly "reverses" medical abortion.

9 Dec 2019

Study highlights lack of psychological support for people dealing with infertility in the UK

Psychological support for those dealing with infertility and its treatment is received by only just half of those who want it in the UK - with many left to suffer with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, according to a new study published in Human Fertility.

6 Dec 2019

Reductions in air pollution yield dramatic impacts on health-outcomes

Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

6 Dec 2019

Fetal heart rate could predict future heart health of babies

Changes in heart rate due to low oxygen conditions experienced by the fetus during pregnancy could predict the future heart health of babies, suggests research published today in The Journal of Physiology.

6 Dec 2019