The placenta's response to infections from malaria, toxoplasmosis and listeria has been mapped in high resolution, possibly paving the way for new treatment options.
Human embryo compaction, an essential step in the first days of an embryo's development, is driven by the contractility of its cells. These results contradict the presupposed driving role of cell adhesion in this phenomenon and pave the...
Researchers changed the composition of the gut microbiota in male mice through common antibiotics, inducing a condition called dysbiosis, and found that: - Mouse pups sired by a dysbiotic father show significantly lower birth weight, and...
Researchers have identified a novel Heat Shock Factor (HSF), designated as HSF5, which plays a crucial role in the completion of meiosis and the activation of genes essential for sperm formation. This discovery provides valuable insights...
Researchers have discovered in a preclinical model that cytokines, proteins that control immune response, circulating in maternal blood during pregnancy may mitigate an offspring's risk for psychiatric conditions. The findings are...
Physical cues in the womb, and not just genetics, influence the normal development of neural crest cells, the embryonic stem cells that form facial features, finds a new study.
In a new study, researchers show that elevated levels of proteins related to cellular senescence, or aging, in the blood and the placenta are linked to this form of heart failure.
A new study has identified that a deficit in the placental expression of the gene insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGFBP1) and low IGFBP1 circulating levels are associated with insulin resistance during pregnancy, highlighting a potential...
An international research team has just provided valuable evidence through a 20-year longitudinal study to address the longstanding debate concerning the potential impact of maternal diabetes on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder...
In the largest study to date on the subject, researchers found no evidence to support a causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and increased risk of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability in children. The findings use...
Pregnancy may carry a cost, reports a new study. The research shows that women who reported having been pregnant looked biologically older than women who had never been pregnant, and women who had been pregnant more often looked...
Researchers have found that even low to moderate alcohol use by pregnant patients may contribute to subtle changes in their babies' prenatal development, including lower birth length and a shorter duration of gestation.
Infant gut microbiomes oscillate with a circadian rhythm, even when they are cultivated outside of the body. Researchers report that the rhythm is detectable as early as 2 weeks after birth but becomes more pronounced with age. The...
The guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy in obese women have long been questioned. New research supports the idea of lowering or removing the current recommendation of a weight gain of at least 5 kg.
Women affected by premenstrual disorders have a higher risk of perinatal depression compared with those who do not, according to new research. The relationship works both ways: those with perinatal depression are also more likely to...
Researchers analyzed 52 studies involving more than 4 million pregnancies across 22 countries to investigate the health impacts of miscarriage, abortion and recurrent pregnancy loss (more than two miscarriages in succession) on...
With the rise in gestational diabetes and metabolic disorders during pregnancy, metformin is also being prescribed more frequently. Although it is known that the oral antidiabetic agent can cross the placental barrier, the impacts on the...
Contrary to some claims, laws that criminalize or otherwise punish drug use during pregnancy are more likely to worsen rather than improve health outcomes. The study is the first to systematically review the literature on punitive...
The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy isn't linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties, study suggests -- giving assurance to those concerned about continuing their medications during pregnancy.
After the egg has been fertilized by a sperm, the surrounding egg coat tightens, mechanically preventing the entry of additional sperm and the ensuing death of the embryo, a new study finds. The work also explains how mutations in egg...
A new study challenges the prevailing view on the maternal death rate in the United States. The findings show that the rates of maternal death were stable between 1999-2002 and 2018-2021, instead of the dramatic upward trends previously...
A team of international researchers has demonstrated, for the first time in a field study, that using folic acid-fortified iodized table salt can prevent multiple severe birth defects.
New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by women of advanced maternal age or for...
The COVID vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, researchers report in an important finding on the safety of the vaccine in infants -- despite widespread fear and misinformation.
A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and...
A survey by UC Davis researchers shows the U.S. baby formula shortage in 2022 led 81% of parents to switch brands or types, causing health effects for babies.
Living in neighborhoods with more white residents and greater lifetime experiences of racial discrimination are linked to increased systemic inflammation during pregnancy among Black women, according to new research.
A novel screening system enables researchers to investigate sperm cell development and health at the molecular level. The new approach promises breakthroughs in male contraception and infertility treatments.
Researchers have investigated the relation between 40-year-old women's pregnancy history and later risk of dying of cardiovascular diseases. Within each level of total number of pregnancies women had by age 40, mortality risk increased...
A recently published study that shows lactating mothers who get the COVID-19 booster pass along the antibodies to their children via their breast milk -- and potentially protect babies too young to receive the vaccine.
Results from a new US nationwide cohort study show that, despite strong recommendations in favor of consuming omega-3 fatty acids for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health, 25% of participants reported rarely, or never eating...
Researchers have characterized, in exacting detail, the rapid series of events that transform a single fertilized cell into a living, complex being. The work not only has enabled the team to explore which genes drive the differentiation...
Children prenatally exposed to anesthesia for maternal surgery during pregnancy were significantly more likely than unexposed children to receive a diagnosis of a disruptive or internalizing behavioral disorder including attention...
A new study shows oxygenation levels in the placenta, formed during the last three months of fetal development, are an important predictor of cortical growth (development of the outermost layer of the brain or cerebral cortex) and is...
Results from a large clinical trial show that an intervention for anxiety provided to pregnant women living in Pakistan significantly reduced the likelihood of the women developing moderate-to-severe anxiety, depression, or both six...
In the face of increasing temperatures globally, a new study of 1.2 million births over two decades has shown a strong association between the risk of pre-term birth and exposure to extreme hot temperatures in the third trimester of...
Researchers culled years of data demonstrating that maternal mental illness is an under-recognized contributor to the death of new mothers. They are calling for urgent action to address this public health crisis.
The accumulation of misfolded or damaged proteins in long-lived, non-dividing cells like neurons are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. A study now finds that the build-up of these toxic proteins also influences...
Scientists discovered a new target for reversible, non-hormonal male birth control. The drug, an HDAC inhibitor, blocked sperm production and fertility in male mice without affecting libido or future reproduction.
Researchers have found a correlation between early signs of adrenal puberty in first-born daughters and their mothers' having experienced high levels of prenatal stress. They did not find the same result in boys or daughters who were not...
The discovery of a pair of genes that work in perfect harmony to protect male fertility could provide new insights into some unexplained cases of the most severe form of infertility, research suggests.
Women who receive an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination or booster during pregnancy can provide their infants with strong protection against symptomatic COVID-19 infection for at least six months after birth, according to a new study. These...
A medical researcher has identified a genetic cause for the increased risk of low birth weight in babies born following assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF.
An advanced human heart organoid system can be used to model embryonic heart development under pregestational diabetes-like conditions, researchers report. The organoids recapitulate hallmarks of pregestational diabetes-induced...
In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers have concluded that fathers exposed to environmental toxins, notably DDT, may produce sperm with health...