An atlas of the placenta developed by NIH researchers offers insight on the communication that occurs between maternal and fetal cells during labor and delivery.
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.
Media Advisory: NIH-supported researchers create single-cell atlas of the placenta during term labor
Science Update: NIH-funded researchers link genetic variants to malformations in stillborn infants
Researchers linked malformations in stillborn infants to copy number variants—lengths of DNA in which hereditary material is duplicated or deleted. What they learned could lead provide information helpful to parents and for pregnancy care.
Science Update: Altered fluid channels in the brain may be linked to diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, NIH-funded study suggests
Children with enlarged perivascular spaces—fluid-filled cavities surrounding the brain’s small blood vessels—had a higher risk for developing autism spectrum disorder and later sleep problems. Brain scans to detect the enlargement could be helpful for obtaining an earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders.
Science Update: Questionnaire could identify emotional responses leading to PTSD after childbirth, NIH-funded study suggests
A questionnaire detecting strong emotional responses to traumatic births could help identify new mothers at risk for developing childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder. It may lead to faster diagnosis—and treatment—of post traumatic stress disorder in new mothers.
Science Update: Cannabis use in pregnancy may impair placental function, suggests NIH-funded study
Pregnant people who tested positive for cannabis use were at 27% higher risk for conditions related to poor placental function—including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, stillbirth, and growth restriction relative to gestational age—than pregnant people who tested negative.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on a Productive 2023
In 2023, NICHD continued its commitment to research to understand human development, improve reproductive health, promote women’s health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. Highlights include steps toward reducing the global burden of maternal sepsis and establishing a standard treatment for opioid-exposed newborns.
Science Update: Widespread COVID-19 vaccination likely halted spike in preterm birth, NIH-funded analysis suggests
By late 2022, widespread COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant people likely halted a spike in the preterm birth rate that began at the start of the pandemic, suggests a new study. The findings underscore the need for pregnant people to keep current on COVID-19 vaccination.
Release: NIH researchers create genetic atlas detailing early stages of zebrafish development
Zebrafish are models for studying early development. Scientists at NICHD published an atlas of early zebrafish development that can serve as resource for other researchers who study development or human conditions and diseases.
Spotlight: Looking Back on NICHD in 2023
As we ring in 2024, we’d like to take a brief look back on our accomplishments during 2023. These activities illustrate the institute’s continued commitment to research and training in its mission areas.
Science Update: Maternal depression may age the placenta prematurely, NIH study suggests
Depression in early and mid-pregnancy seems to age the placenta more rapidly than not experiencing depression during pregnancy. Premature placental aging could account for higher rates of low birth weight, preterm birth, blood pressure disorders, diabetes, and other complications linked to depression in pregnancy, underscoring the need to diagnose and treat depression in pregnant people.
Science Update: New method could replace conventional invasive procedures for prenatal testing, NIH-funded study suggests
Researchers developed a new method of evaluating blood from pregnant people to identify anomalies in the genes of fetuses. The new approach is more sensitive than current tests, which screen only for chromosome-level variants, such as an extra chromosome, and a small number of fetal genetic variants. It is also less invasive than current methods, which often involve inserting a needle into the uterus to retrieve fetal cells for analysis.
Director's Corner: Advancing Endometriosis Research
Endometriosis affects an estimated 10% of women, can cause severe pain and infertility, and typically has long delays in diagnosis. NICHD is accelerating efforts to definitively diagnose, prevent, and treat this chronic disease.
Science Update: Pain experienced during newborn intensive care could influence preterm infants’ neurodevelopment, suggests NIH-funded study
Preterm infants who underwent several painful medical procedures in early life may be at high risk for autism spectrum disorders and lower motor and language scores at 18 months of age, suggesting that repeated exposure to pain may affect early brain development. The findings underscore the need to develop more effective pain management procedures for preterm infants.
Spotlight: Reflecting on Recent Progress in HIV Research
For the 35th observance of World AIDS Day, NICHD reflects on recent progress in HIV/AIDS research to optimize outcomes for infants and children, tailor care for adolescents and young adults, promote reproductive health, and support pregnancy and parenthood.
Spotlight: Scientific Advances from the Division of Intramural Research
The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
Science Update: Antibody treatment for cytomegalovirus appears to offer no benefit, suggests NIH-funded study
Two-year-old children showed no benefits from their mothers receiving antibodies that target cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy compared to those whose mothers received a placebo. Findings from this follow-up study were similar to the original, which also found no differences. Full effects of CMV infection during pregnancy may not appear until a child is two years old.
Science Update: Questionnaire may detect childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder, NIH-funded study suggests
An early study suggests that a questionnaire can detect posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth with high probability. If large-scale studies verify its effectiveness, the questionnaire could provide a rapid and efficient method for postnatal PTSD screening, allowing timely referral for a thorough assessment and treatment.
Item of Interest: NICHD and CDC Partner on Healthy Native Babies Project
This collaboration will promote safe infant sleep with and within American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Science Update: NIH-funded study finds no link between preconception COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage risk
Among more than 1,800 women planning a pregnancy, those who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before getting pregnant were no more likely to miscarry than those who were unvaccinated. The study also found no increased miscarriage risk among roughly 1,500 couples in which the male partner was vaccinated before trying to conceive.
Media Advisory: Umbilical cord milking appears to be safe in preterm infants born after 28 weeks
A treatment that moves blood from the umbilical cord into an infant’s body may provide a safe option for preterm infants born after 28 weeks who need rapid support, according to a study supported by NIH. Umbilical cord “milking”— gently squeezing the cord between the thumb and forefinger and pushing the blood into the newborn’s body—did not increase the risk of bleeding inside the brain for preterm infants born after 28 weeks of pregnancy.