Pregnancy News and Research

Latest Pregnancy News and Research

Scientists make breakthrough in understanding the causes of spina bifida

Scientists at Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, and the Department of Neurosciences and Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the causes of spina bifida, a serious birth defect affecting thousands of newborns each year.

1 Apr 2025

Pregnancy may provide some protection against Long COVID

Pregnancy may offer some protection from developing Long COVID, found a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Utah Health and Louisiana Public Health Institute.

1 Apr 2025

Study links childhood air pollution exposure to weaker brain connections

A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, has found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution in early and mid childhood have weaker connections between key brain regions.

1 Apr 2025

Researchers uncover mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants.

1 Apr 2025

Vitamin D monitoring during pregnancy and postpartum

Researchers determine the impact of vitamin D levels during pregnancy and their role in maternal and infant health outcomes.

1 Apr 2025

Does COVID-19 affect heart rate variability after recovery?

Researchers determine the impact of mild COVID-19 on heart rate variability.

31 Mar 2025

New PCR test offers hope for better treatment of bacterial vaginosis

Roughly one out of three women ages 14-49 in the United States develop a vaginal bacterial imbalance known as bacterial vaginosis (BV) during their lifetime.

28 Mar 2025

Their physical therapy coverage ran out before they could walk again

Mari Villar was slammed by a car that jumped the curb, breaking her legs and collapsing a lung. Amy Paulo was in pain from a femur surgery that wasn't healing properly.

28 Mar 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The ax falls at HHS

As had been rumored for weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan to reorganize the department. It involves the downsizing of its workforce, which formerly was roughly 80,000 people, by a quarter and consolidating dozens of agencies that were created and authorized by Congress.

27 Mar 2025

AI helps sonographers detect fetal abnormalities faster during 20-week pregnancy scan

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help sonographers identify any abnormalities at the 20-week pregnancy screening scan almost twice as quickly, without reducing the accuracy or reliability of diagnoses, a new study has shown.

27 Mar 2025

Scientists link emulsifiers in processed foods to allergy and immune disorders

Review identifies common food additives in ultra-processed foods—particularly emulsifiers like carrageenan and polysorbate 80—as key drivers of gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and allergic diseases by disrupting intestinal barriers and activating proinflammatory pathways.

26 Mar 2025

Addressing cardiovascular risk factors in emerging adulthood

Many teenagers enter adulthood with significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and the transition from adolescence to adulthood is a key time to address these risk factors and reduce the risk of developing future cardiovascular disease, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

26 Mar 2025

New guidelines recommend 2 hours of weekly exercise for postpartum women

New mums should be strongly encouraged to begin clocking up at least two hours of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity such as brisk walking and muscle strengthening exercises each week in the first three months after birth, when physically able, to improve health and well-being, say experts in a new guideline published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

26 Mar 2025

Postpartum females show shift in temperature preferences due to brain changes

Mothers experience major metabolic adaptations during pregnancy and lactation to support the development and growth of the new life.

25 Mar 2025

CDC study identifies leading culprits of foodborne illness

Researchers from the CDC and Colorado School of Public Health estimate that seven major pathogens caused 9.9 million foodborne illnesses in the US in 2019. Norovirus led illness and hospitalization counts, while Salmonella caused the most deaths.

25 Mar 2025

Drinking diet drinks in pregnancy raises overweight risk in children, study finds

Daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) during pregnancy was linked to a modest but consistent increase in overweight risk in offspring from age 7 to 18. Surprisingly, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) were associated with a lower risk, though lifestyle differences may explain this.

25 Mar 2025