The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.
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.
Director's Corner: Prioritizing Women’s Health
Within NIH, NICHD leads research focused on women’s health “below the belt.” This includes addressing a spectrum of gynecological and reproductive health issues, from endometriosis to pelvic floor disorders.
Director's Corner: Addressing Infertility
Infertility affects millions of lives. NICHD supports research to better understand its causes and contributing factors and to improve treatments for both male and female inferility.
Science Update: Relatives of men with infertility may be at higher risk for certain cancers, NIH-funded study suggests
Relatives of men with no or a very low sperm count may be at higher risk for cancers. The findings may lead to new ways for identifying people at risk.
Media Advisory: Repurposed drug shows promise against endometriosis-related pain in animal model
An NIH-funded study suggests that fenoprofen may be a potential therapeutic for endometriosis, a disease that affects approximately 1 in 10 U.S. women. The researchers used a computer algorithm to evaluate nearly 1,300 existing drugs and tested their top candidate, fenoprofen, in a rodent model of the disease.
Spotlight: NIH Panel Explores Endometriosis Advances, Emphasizes Awareness
Around 200 million people worldwide live with endometriosis, a common gynecological disease with symptoms that include pelvic pain, fatigue, and infertility. NICHD recently hosted a discussion about advances and new directions in endometriosis research, and the imperative of raising awareness and education about the disease.
Science Update: Gene discovery could lead to development of new male contraceptive, NIH-funded study suggests
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered a gene that could serve as a target for a new, non-hormonal contraceptive. The gene, arrestin domain containing 5 (ARRDC5) is present in several mammalian species and controls the last step in sperm maturation. Deactivating the gene results in lower sperm count and sperm with impaired movement that are incapable of fertilizing an egg—without any apparent ill effects elsewhere in the body.
Spotlight: Women in Science: Dr. Veronica Gomez-Lobo’s Nontraditional Route to Research
Dr. Veronica Gomez-Lobo, director of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology at NICHD, began
her career as a clinician focused on caring for underserved populations. Taking advantage of interesting opportunities
led her to become involved in medical education, and later, in scientific research.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2022
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.
Spotlight: Ovarian tissue freezing offers hope for future fertility
NICHD researchers are evaluating ovarian tissue cryopreservation as a potential option to preserve fertility among young girls with Turner syndrome and other rare conditions that compromise ovarian function. The team also aims to determine the causes of ovarian problems in these girls.
Media Advisory: Asthma, allergy risk may be higher for children conceived with infertility treatment
Children conceived with infertility treatment may have a higher risk for asthma and allergies, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Fertility treatments may increase risk for preterm birth, NIH-funded study suggests
Infertility treatments with ovulation drugs or intrauterine insemination—in which sperm is placed directly into the uterus—are associated with a higher likelihood of preterm birth, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
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.
Release: COVID-19 vaccination does not reduce chances of conception, study suggests
COVID-19 vaccination does not affect the chances of conceiving a child, according to a study of more than 2,000 couples that was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found no differences in the chances of conception if either male or female partner had been vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated couples. However, couples had a slightly lower chance of conception if the male partner had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 60 days before a menstrual cycle, suggesting that COVID-19 could temporarily reduce male fertility.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2021
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.
Item of Interest: PregSource® Mobile App Allows Access from Anywhere
It just got easier to participate in the PregSource®: Crowdsourcing to Understand Pregnancy research project. The free app allows participants to track their weight, sleep, mood, and other features of their pregnancy in just a few taps.
Item of Interest: Una Grewal Appointed Director of the Division of Population Health Research
Dr. Grewal has been acting director of the division since February 2020.
Item of Interest: NICHD website seeks to foster contraceptive and infertility research
A new website offers reproductive health researchers a way to search for genes, proteins, and other molecules that could provide the basis for studies to develop new contraceptive methods and infertility treatments. The Contraceptive Infertility Target Database (CITDBase) is a free public resource developed by the Contraceptive Development Program in the NICHD’s Division of Population Health Research.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study discovers gene involved in male infertility
Mutation in a single gene appears to account for a form of male infertility in which men fail to produce sperm, according to an international study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. Males with the condition, known as non-obstructive azoospermia, fail to produce any sperm, even though they do not have any obstruction in the ducts through which sperm are released.
Science Update: Sleep disturbances do not appear to hinder birth rate in women with common infertility disorder, NIH study suggests
Sleep disturbances, common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), do not appear to hinder conception and live birth rates for women undergoing treatment for infertility, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the researchers found that for women with PCOS, insulin resistance—a risk factor for type 2 diabetes—was associated with lower conception and live birth rates.