Pregnant women exposed to persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, had slightly smaller fetuses than women who haven’t been exposed to these chemicals, according to an analysis of ultrasound scans by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
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: Many pregnant women with HIV prescribed treatment that does not meet federal guidelines
More than 20% of pregnant women beginning anti-HIV treatment were prescribed an antiretroviral treatment that did not meet federal guidelines for use during pregnancy, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Spotlight: Healthy Pregnancy for Every Body
NICHD’s new initiative—Pregnancy for Every Body—educates plus-size pregnant women about healthy pregnancy and the importance of working with a healthcare provider to develop a pregnancy plan.
Release: Living in ethnic enclaves may improve pregnancy outcomes for Asian/Pacific Islanders, NIH study suggests
Among Asian/Pacific Islander women living in the United States, those who reside in ethnic enclaves—areas with a high concentration of residents of a similar ancestry—are less likely to have pregnancy or birth complications than those living in other areas, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Release: Exposure to HIV drug in the womb may increase risk of microcephaly, developmental delays in children
Children born to women on HIV therapy containing the drug efavirenz were 2 to 2.5 times more likely to have microcephaly, or small head size, compared to children born to women on regimens of other antiretroviral drugs, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health. The children with microcephaly also had a higher risk for developmental delays, compared to children with normal head size.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study shows placenta imaging method may aid early diagnosis of pregnancy complications
A new imaging technique to track maternal blood flow to the placenta has the potential to help diagnose several common complications in early pregnancy, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers used the technique, referred to as pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (pCASL MRI), to identify women with reduced placental blood flow who later developed one or more complications.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded study suggests acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism
Exposure to acetaminophen in the womb may increase a child’s risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.
Item of Interest: Joint study finds safe infant sleep practices need improvement
A study from federal researchers shows that information about ways to reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths is not reaching all caregivers or healthcare providers.
Science Update: High stress level may delay pregnancy in women with prior pregnancy loss, NICHD study suggests
Feeling stressed was linked to lower chances of ovulation, conception, and pregnancy among women who had earlier experienced a pregnancy loss, according to an analysis by researchers at the NICHD.
Media Advisory: High lead levels during pregnancy linked to child obesity, NIH-funded study suggests
Children born to women who have high blood levels of lead are more likely be overweight or obese, compared to those whose mothers have low levels of lead in their blood, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and Health Resources and Services Administration.
Science Update: Sleeping position during early and mid pregnancy does not affect risk of complications, NIH-funded study suggests
Sleeping on the back or side through the 30th week of pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of stillbirth, reduced size at birth, or high blood pressure disorders of pregnancy, suggests an analysis funded by the NICHD.
Release: Higher air pollution exposure during second pregnancy may increase preterm birth risk, NIH study suggests
Pregnant women who are exposed to higher air pollution levels during their second pregnancy, compared to their first one, may be at greater risk of preterm birth, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Media Advisory: NIH scientists call for coordinated research to improve pregnancy-related health in the United States
Improved data reporting among the factors critical to reducing life-threatening complications of pregnancy and childbirth
Science Update: Naltrexone could hold promise for treating opioid use disorder during pregnancy, NICHD-funded study suggests
Infants born to mothers taking the drug naltrexone to treat opioid use disorder showed no signs of drug withdrawal and had shorter hospital stays than infants born to mothers undergoing the standard treatment, according to a small study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Science Update: Air pollutants may increase risk of pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders, NIH study suggests
Exposure to high levels of certain common air pollutants in early pregnancy may increase the risk of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, suggests an analysis by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In addition, exposure to a class of air pollutants known as volatile organic compounds in mid-pregnancy may increase the risk for preeclampsia, a potentially fatal disorder of pregnancy affecting blood pressure and kidney function.
Media Advisory: Risk of neural tube defects slightly higher for babies of women on HIV therapy containing dolutegravir
Children born to women on HIV therapy containing the drug dolutegravir since conception have a slightly higher risk of neural tube defects, compared to children born to women on regimens of other antiretroviral drugs.
Release: NIH study links air pollution to increase in newborn intensive care admissions
Infants born to women exposed to high levels of air pollution in the week before delivery are more likely to be admitted to a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.
Science Update: Low vitamin D early in life may increase risk of high blood pressure through adolescence, NICHD-funded study suggests
Low vitamin D levels at birth or in early childhood may increase the risk of high blood pressure in later childhood or adolescence, suggests a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Science Update: Gestational diabetes may increase risk of fatty liver disease later in life, NIH study suggests
Women who have gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes may be more likely to develop a potentially serious build up of fat in the liver later in life, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The researchers found that 9 to 16 years after pregnancy, women who had gestational diabetes have high levels of liver enzymes associated with the accumulation of fat, which could place them at risk of liver damage and liver failure.
Release: Elevated blood pressure in first trimester increases risk for blood pressure disorder later in pregnancy
Elevated blood pressure in the first trimester of pregnancy, or an increase in blood pressure between the first and second trimesters, raises the chances of a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.