A group of experts led by NICHD has proposed a new anatomic model of the ovary and recommended standardized nomenclature to describe its major features.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Release: Study confirms link between COVID-19 vaccination and temporary increase in menstrual cycle length
A large international study has confirmed the findings of a previous U.S. study that linked COVID-19 vaccination with an average increase in menstrual cycle length of less than one day. The increase was not associated with any change in the number of days of menses (days of bleeding). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the new study included data from nearly 20,000 people from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and other parts of the world who received any of nine different vaccines. For most study participants, the increase resolved in the cycle following vaccination.
Science Update: Pregnancy-associated homicides on the rise in the United States, suggests NICHD-funded study
U.S. rates of pregnancy-associated homicide—deaths that occur among women who are pregnant or had been pregnant within one year—rose in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent NICHD-funded study.
Director's Corner: Crowdsourcing to Advance Maternal Health Research
Challenge competitions offer a mechanism to quickly bring in diverse voices and expertise to innovate and problem-solve. This month, NICHD and partners launched two challenges focused on improving our nation’s maternal health: the RADx® Tech for Maternal Health Challenge and the Connecting the Community for
Maternal Health Challenge.
Release: NIH launches $8 million prize competition to reduce maternal deaths in regions that lack maternity care
The National Institutes of Health is offering up to $8 million in cash prizes to accelerate development of technologies to improve maternal health outcomes for those who live in areas lacking access to maternity care.
Release: NIH launches challenge to advance community-based maternal health research
The National Institutes of Health has launched a $3 million challenge competition to encourage community-based and advocacy organizations in the United States to develop the infrastructure and capabilities necessary to conduct maternal health research.
Item of Interest: NIH to establish Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence
NIH recently released three funding opportunity announcements inviting applications for the Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence initiative, which will develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity.
Spotlight: One year and counting: Male birth control study reaches milestone
Learn about an experimental male contracteptive gel called NES/T, which was developed in collaboration with NICHD and the Population Council.
Science Update: Endometriosis linked to higher stroke risk, NIH-funded study suggests
Women with endometriosis may have a higher risk for stroke, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The analysis of more than 110,000 women found that compared to women without the condition, women who had been diagnosed with endometriosis had a 34% higher risk for stroke. The study authors concluded that physicians should consider counseling patients with endometriosis about their risk for stroke and other cardiovascular conditions.
Science Update: Pregnant people with disabilities at higher risk for intimate partner violence, NIH-funded study suggests
Compared to pregnant people without a disability, pregnant people with disabilities may have about two and a half times the risk of experiencing intimate partner violence in the year before pregnancy and during pregnancy, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study authors conclude that health care providers should be vigilant in screening persons with disabilities for intimate partner violence before and during pregnancy and refer them to appropriate information and resources.
Science Update: Hormone prevents obesity in offspring of pregnant mice with obesity, according to NIH-funded study
Giving the hormone adiponectin to pregnant mice with obesity prevented later life obesity and related health conditions in their offspring, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that adiponectin, a hormone produced by fat cells, could play a role in reducing the lifelong obesity risk of children born to mothers with obesity during pregnancy.
Science Update: Placental inflammation could explain link between air pollution and pregnancy complications, NIH-funded study in mice suggests
The increase in pregnancy complications linked to air pollution exposure could result from the pollutants’ direct effects on the placenta, suggests a study in mice funded by the National Institutes of Health. Placentas of mice exposed to a mixture of common urban air pollutants before and during pregnancy were inflamed and had a loss of blood vessel cells. The study authors say the findings could provide insight into how air pollution might affect pregnancies and lead to strategies for preventing pregnancy complications.
Science Update: Pre-pregnancy obesity may increase child asthma risk, NIH study suggests
Maternal obesity before pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma in early childhood, suggests a study by the National Institutes of Health. Children born to mothers with obesity were more likely than those born to mothers without obesity to have persistent wheezing, an indication of asthma.
Science Update: Placental genetic material in maternal blood could potentially diagnose gestational diabetes early, small NIH-funded study suggests
A new method to detect genetic material from the placenta in the blood of pregnant people could potentially identify the risk for gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes in the first trimester, suggests a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop non-surgical method to treat endometriosis
Technique adapted from cancer treatment shows promise in mouse study.
Spotlight: Small Business Success Stories
NICHD-funded small business programs have led to innovations for patients, healthcare providers, researchers, and more. Learn about these success stories.
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers develop prototype genetic test to predict women’s risk for fibroids
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a prototype genetic test with the potential to predict the development and eventual severity of uterine fibroids—benign, but sometimes painful and debilitating tumors of the uterus. The test could be used to identify fibroid cases early and to better understand how they develop and how to treat them.
Science Update: Maternal pregnancy complications may increase risk of infant health effects, NIH-funded study suggests
Life-threatening pregnancy complications known as severe maternal morbidity (SMM) appear to be associated with an increased length of hospital stay for infants and an increase in the cost of caring for them, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings support the hypothesis that infants of mothers with SMM may also be at risk for severe complications. The authors concluded that helping patients to reduce their risk factors—in early pregnancy or before conception—may reduce the chances for SMM and improve the health of infants.
Release: NIH-funded study suggests COVID-19 increases risk of pregnancy complications
Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at greater risk for common pregnancy complications—in addition to health risks from the virus—than pregnant women without COVID-19, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Children born during pandemic may experience slight neurodevelopmental delays, NIH-funded study suggests
Infants born during the pandemic—regardless of whether their mothers had COVID-19 during pregnancy—scored slightly lower on certain tests of neurodevelopment at 6 months old, compared to a similar group of infants born before the pandemic, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that children born during the pandemic may need long-term monitoring to rapidly identify any future lags in development. The researchers theorized that maternal stress resulting from the pandemic could have effects on children’s neurodevelopment.