Fresh Embryos Beat Frozen for IVF: Study

• Robert Preidt
• January 15, 2021
• Full Page

When it comes to in vitro fertilization, new research suggests fresh is best.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from 33,000 women who received fresh or frozen embryos derived from freshly retrieved donor eggs.

The data was from 370 in vitro fertilization cli...

Pot Might Impair a Woman's Fertility: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 13, 2021
• Full Page

Though using marijuana for medical or recreational reasons is legal in a growing number of U.S. states, it may come with some unexpected side effects.

A new study found that women who use cannabis may be reducing their fertility.

"Ca...

As Lockdowns Keep Pregnant Women From Exercise, Depression Rates Rise: Study

• Cara Murez
• January 4, 2021
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the emotional health of pregnant women whose exercise routines have been disrupted because of the coronavirus, new research shows.

Those women had higher depression scores than their counterparts who were able to exercise as usua...

High Blood Pressure While Pregnant Linked to Poorer Memory Years Later

• Cara Murez
• January 4, 2021
• Full Page

High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy may follow women through the years, causing lower scores on tests of memory and thinking skills, a Dutch study suggests.

The study of nearly 600 pregnant women included 481 with normal blood pressure and 115 who deve...

Toxic Metals Might Affect Pregnancy, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• December 28, 2020
• Full Page

Exposure to metals may disrupt pregnant women's hormones and boost the odds of complications such as preeclampsia, preterm birth and low birth weight, according to a new study.

Metals such as nickel, arsenic, cobalt and lead have been associated with pregnancy complicati...

Vasectomy Reversal Just as Successful in Men Over 50

• Robert Preidt
• December 23, 2020
• Full Page

Vasectomy reversal is as viable in men over 50 as in those who are younger, a new study says.

About 20% of American men who have a vasectomy want to father children in the future, and about 6% will seek a vasectomy reversal, previous research shows.

However, it's b...

COVID Doesn't Pass From Mom to Fetus During Pregnancy: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 22, 2020
• Full Page

A new study may prove reassuring for expectant moms: Pregnant women who are infected with COVID-19 during their third trimester appear unlikely to pass the infection to their fetuses.

This study was conducted between April and June 2020 among women who came to one of thr...

Most Pregnant Women With COVID Are Asymptomatic

• Robert Preidt
• December 17, 2020
• Full Page

Most pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus don't have symptoms, a new study shows.

Researchers analyzed data from a coronavirus screening program in the labor and delivery unit of Elmhurst Hospital in New York City during March and April.

Of the 130 pr...

Black Women at Higher Heart Risk During Pregnancy

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 16, 2020
• Full Page

Although heart problems are rare complications of pregnancy, Black women face a heightened risk -- even if they have comfortable incomes and health insurance, a new study finds.

It's well established that the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than other ...

Many Breast Cancer Survivors Have Healthy Babies: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

When a young woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, many questions go through her mind.

What treatments does she need? Will she survive? And will she still be able to have a baby?

In a review of recent research, an international team of investigators say the answe...

COVID Fuels Depression Among Pregnant Women, New Moms

• Cara Murez
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19 may be behind a concerning rise in the number of women suffering anxiety and depression before and soon after childbirth, a new study says.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston surveyed more than 1,100 pregnant and postpartum women between Ma...

Too Many, Too Few Babies May Speed Aging in Women

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 7, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnancy can be exhilarating or exhausting, and sometimes both at the same time. It may not come as a surprise to a woman who has experienced pregnancy once, twice or many times, that it can age her.

New research reveals that how many pregnancies a woman has may affect ...

U.S. Moms-to-Be Are Much Less Healthy Now

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• December 7, 2020
• Full Page

In the past 30 years, U.S. women have been in progressively worse physical shape as they become pregnant, a new study finds.

A combination of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and having children later in life have led to potentially more complications, and even inf...

Frozen Eggs Help Breast Cancer Survivors Conceive

• November 27, 2020
• Full Page

Freezing their eggs or ovarian tissue before breast cancer treatment increases survivors' chances of having children after recovery, a new study finds.

Nearly 10% of breast cancer cases occur in women younger than 45 years of age, some of whom haven't yet had children, a...

Could the Pill Reduce Asthma Attacks?

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 24, 2020
• Full Page

Women with asthma may suffer fewer severe symptom attacks if they are on birth control pills, a large new study suggests.

The study of more than 83,000 women with asthma found that those who used birth control pills for at least three years tended to have fewer severe fl...

More Childbearing Women Having Suicidal Thoughts: Study

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2020
• Full Page

The number of women who contemplate suicide or self-harm during or after pregnancy may be on the rise, a large, new study suggests.

Among nearly 600,000 U.S. childbearing women, researchers found that close to 2,700 were diagnosed with suicidality in the year before or a...

COVID in Pregnancy Won't Affect Obstetric Outcomes: Study

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnant women with COVID-19 have little risk of developing severe symptoms, as do their newborns, a new study finds.

In fact, 95% of these women have good outcomes, and just 3% of their babies test positive for COVID-19, researchers say.

"For 5% of COVID-19-positi...

U.S. Leads Wealthy Nations in Pregnancy-Related Deaths

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 18, 2020
• Full Page

American women are far more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than women in other wealthy countries -- and a national shortage of maternity care providers bodes ill for the future.

Those are some of the findings from a new report on maternal mortality by the no...

Obamacare's Birth Control Coverage May Have Reduced Unplanned Pregnancies

• Cara Murez
• November 10, 2020
• Full Page

When Obamacare made contraception affordable, the rate of unplanned pregnancies among poor Americans declined, a new study reports.

The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) elimination of out-of-pocket costs for birth control was tied to fewer births in all income groups, but esp...

Global Warming Could Bring Added Risks for Pregnant Women

• Robert Preidt
• November 5, 2020
• Full Page

Global warming could increase rates of serious pregnancy problems, researchers warn.

They analyzed 70 studies from 27 countries that reported associations between high temperatures and preterm birth, birth weight and stillbirths.

"Given increases in the freque...

Pandemic Protocols Don't Stand in the Way of a Safe Delivery

• Steven Reinberg
• November 4, 2020
• Full Page

New infection prevention practices started during the coronavirus pandemic have actually shortened hospital stays for mothers and their babies, a new study finds.

The changes included screening the temperature of all patients and visitors, limiting the number of visitors...

Obamacare Boosted Health of Poor Women Before, After Pregnancy

• Robert Preidt
• November 4, 2020
• Full Page

The health of low-income women before they become pregnant has improved in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), researchers report.

The time before a woman becomes pregnant is critical for her health and that of her infant, but many poor wom...

Epilepsy Meds During Pregnancy May Raise Autism Risk in Child

• Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter
• October 30, 2020
• Full Page

Women who take the epilepsy medication valproic acid during pregnancy have more than twice the risk of having a child with autism, new research suggests.

The study also found that taking the drug during pregnancy almost doubled the odds that a child would have attention-...

For Some Women, Postpartum Depression Lingers for Years

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• October 29, 2020
• Full Page

Many women have depression symptoms after giving birth, but for some postpartum depression hangs on for years, a U.S. government study finds.

Of nearly 4,900 new mothers researchers followed, one-quarter had depression symptoms at some point in their child's first three...

COVID-19 More Common in Pregnant Hispanics Than Other Moms-to-Be: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• October 22, 2020
• Full Page

Hispanic mothers-to-be in the southern United States are almost twice as likely to have COVID-19 as non-Hispanic women, a new study finds.

The researchers also found that those with government health insurance were more likely to test positive for the coronavirus th...

Most U.S. Women Under 50 Use Contraception: Report

• Steven Reinberg
• October 20, 2020
• Full Page

Most American women between 15 and 49 years of age use birth control, according to a new U.S. government report.

Between 2017 and 2019, 65% of those women used some form of contraception, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Severe Morning Sickness Linked to Depression Before and After Birth

• Robert Preidt
• October 16, 2020
• Full Page

Women who suffer severe morning sickness may have higher risk of depression during and after pregnancy, according to a new British study.

It enrolled 214 women in London during the first trimester of pregnancy. Half had severe morning sickness; half did not. None had...

For Many Pregnant Women, COVID-19 Has Prolonged Effect

• Robert Preidt
• October 12, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19 symptoms can last a long time in pregnant women, researchers say.

The new study included 594 pregnant women (average age 31) across the United States who tested positive for the new coronavirus but were not hospitalized. Nearly one-third were health care wor...

Women's Reproductive Health Tied to Later Heart Disease

• Robert Preidt
• October 9, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and miscarriage, may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease later in life, a new study suggests.

For the study, the researchers analyzed 32 reviews that assessed women of childbearing age and their subsequent r...

Chrissy Teigen's Pregnancy Loss Spotlights a Hidden Source of Grief for Many

• E.J. Mundell
• October 2, 2020
• Full Page

Chrissy Teigen's public disclosure of her pregnancy loss is shining new light on a trauma for couples that's too often left in the shadows.

The 34-year-old model, cookbook author and social media star announced the loss of her baby boy via Twitter Thursday. She was t...

Air Pollutants, Metals Are Reaching The Placenta, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• September 29, 2020
• Full Page

Metals and other air pollutants have been found in the placentas of new mothers, which means such pollutants may be able to reach the fetus, researchers report.

"Our study for the first time shows that inhaled carbon particulate matter in air pollution travels in the...

1 Woman in 5 With Migraine Avoiding Pregnancy: Study

• Robert Preidt
• September 21, 2020
• Full Page

Many women with severe migraines don't want to get pregnant because of concerns about their headaches, a new study finds.

Migraine, one of the world's leading causes of disability, particularly affects women of childbearing age.

Researchers surveyed 607 U.S...

Pregnancy May Delay MS

• Robert Preidt
• September 18, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnancy can delay the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) by more than three years, researchers report.

The international study found those who'd been pregnant had their first MS symptoms an average of 3.3 years later than those who'd never been pregnant. Having carri...

Pregnant Women With COVID-19 at High Risk for Complications

• Steven Reinberg
• September 16, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19 may hit pregnant women especially hard, U.S. health officials warned in two reports.

In one report, scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge pregnant women and health care providers to be aware of the risks for severe COVID-1...

Mom-to-Be's Flu Shot Doesn't Raise Autism Risk

• Serena Gordon
• September 1, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnant women are understandably worried about everything that goes into their bodies. But here's one worry they can cross off that list: flu shots.

A large, new study has confirmed that an expectant woman's flu shot doesn't increase the risk of autism in her child...

Study Zeroes in on How Zika Virus Is Passed From Mom to Fetus

• Robert Preidt
• September 1, 2020
• Full Page

New insight into how pregnant women can pass the Zika virus to their fetus could point to ways to prevent it, researchers say.

Babies infected with Zika in the womb can have abnormally small heads (microcephaly) and other birth defects.

In this study, resea...

Texas Mother Transmitted COVID-19 to Unborn Baby: Study

• Robert Preidt
• August 27, 2020
• Full Page

A new case study adds to growing evidence that the new coronavirus can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

"It's very important to bring to the forefront this finding that mothers and infants can be affected by COVID-19, transmission can occur during p...

There's No Safe Amount of Caffeine in Pregnancy: Report

• E.J. Mundell
• August 25, 2020
• Full Page

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant may need to forgo coffee, tea, sodas and other sources of caffeine. A new data analysis finds no safe level of the drug during this time.

"The cumulative scientific evidence supports pregnant women and women contempla...

'Morning Sickness' Doesn't Stick to the A.M., Study Confirms

• Robert Preidt
• August 19, 2020
• Full Page

As many expectant mothers can unhappily attest, the nausea and vomiting known as "morning sickness" can occur at any time of the day.

In a new study, British researchers analyzed diaries kept by 256 women from the day they learned they were expecting until the 60th d...

Antibiotics Might Lower Effectiveness of Birth Control Pill

• E.J. Mundell
• August 19, 2020
• Full Page

Doctors have long suspected it, but a comprehensive new study provides more evidence that antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills.

That means women who are using both types of drugs at once should take extra precautions to avoid an unintended ...

Gallbladder Surgery During Pregnancy May Be Safer Than Waiting

• Steven Reinberg
• August 18, 2020
• Full Page

For pregnant women experiencing painful gallstones, immediate surgery to remove the infected gallbladder may be better than postponing the operation until after childbirth, a new study suggests.

Acute gallbladder disease is called cholecystitis.

"Current g...

Moms' Obesity May Affect Fetal Brain Development

• Steven Reinberg
• August 12, 2020
• Full Page

Obesity during pregnancy may hinder fetal brain development, a new study suggests.

Development of brain areas involved in decision-making and behavior may be affected as early as the second trimester, New York University researchers said.

For the study, t...

Pot Use While Pregnant Tied to Higher Odds for Autism in Kids

• Serena McNiff
• August 11, 2020
• Full Page

Research has shown that pot use during pregnancy may increase the risk of stillborn birth, preterm birth and low birth weight.

Now, a new study adds another danger: children whose mothers used pot while pregnant could be at greater risk for autism.

And the ...

Odds of Pregnancy in IVF Same With Frozen or Fresh Embryos: Study

• E.J. Mundell
• August 7, 2020
• Full Page

Whether a frozen or fresh embryo is transferred during fertility treatments, the odds of pregnancy are roughly the same, according to a new Danish study involving nearly 500 women.

Fresh embryo transfer, however, should still be the gold standard in assisted reprodu...

If Mom-to-Be Lives Near Airport, Odds for Preemie Birth Rise

• E.J. Mundell
• July 29, 2020
• Full Page

The roar of jet engines may pose a hidden danger to babies: higher odds of premature birth tied to plane exhaust.

So finds a study showing that pregnant women exposed to high levels of pollution from the exhaust of jet planes are 14% more likely to deliver premat...

Placenta May Help Shield Fetus From COVID-19

• Robert Preidt
• July 17, 2020
• Full Page

Some key molecules used by the new coronavirus to cause infection aren't found in the placenta, which may explain why the virus is rarely detected in fetuses or newborns of women with COVID-19.

U.S. government researchers found that placental membranes lack the messe...

Shorter Storage of Frozen Embryos Tied to Pregnancy Success: Study

• Robert Preidt
• June 26, 2020
• Full Page

Vitrification is a safe way to freeze and store embryos during fertility treatment, but the longer embryos are stored, the less likely women are to get pregnant and have a live birth, a new study from China suggests.

In vitrification, embryos are briefly placed in a ...

Pandemic Affecting Mental Health of Pregnant Women, New Moms

• Robert Preidt
• June 19, 2020
• Full Page

The coronavirus pandemic is adding to the mood issues that many pregnant women and new moms experience, according to a new study.

One in 7 women experience anxiety or depression immediately before or after giving birth -- and researchers say the pandemic has made it ...

Climate Change, Smog Could Mean More Preemie Babies: Study

• Amy Norton
• June 18, 2020
• Full Page

Here's more bad news associated with climate change: Pregnant women exposed to air pollution or heat waves face a greater risk of having a preterm or underweight baby, a new research review finds.

The review, of 68 studies from across the United States, found that th...

When COVID-19 Strikes in Pregnancy, C-Section Tied to Worse Outcomes

• Steven Reinberg
• June 11, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnant women with COVID-19 who deliver by cesarean section may be at greater risk for complications that affect them and their babies, new research suggests.

The study focused on 82 women with COVID-19 -- four of them with severe symptoms -- who gave birth in hosp...