In the last three decades, advances in medical technology and neonatal intensive care have significantly improved the survival rates of infants born preterm. These technologies have also helped some of the smallest preemies, called extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and defined as infants weighing less than 2.2 pounds.
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.
Study Shows Additional Benefits of Progesterone in Reducing Preterm Birth Risk
An analysis of five previous studies has uncovered additional evidence of the effectiveness of progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, in reducing the rate of preterm birth among a high-risk category of women.
Placental, Pregnancy Conditions Account for Most Stillbirths
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy disorders and conditions affecting the placenta, according to results reported by a National Institutes of Health network established to find the causes of stillbirth as well as ways to prevent or reduce its occurrence.
Steroids Boost Survival, Reduce Brain Injury for Infants Born at 23 Weeks
Prenatal steroids--given to pregnant women at risk for giving birth prematurely--appear to improve survival and limit brain injury among infants born as early as the 23rd week of pregnancy, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.
NIH Scientist who Advanced Understanding of Preeclampsia Passes Away
An NIH scientist whose landmark collaborations led to a major advance in understanding a potentially fatal disorder of pregnancy has passed away.
Federal Report Shows Drop in Adolescent Birth Rate
The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children and youth.
Vaccines are Safe for Children with Urea Cycle Disorders
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that vaccines are safe for children diagnosed with a group of diseases known as urea cycle disorders.
New White Papers Available for Public Comment
Six new white papers outlining scientific opportunities for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are now available on the institute's Web site for public comment.
National Library of Medicine Announces Release of "Embryo" App
The National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health has released "Embryo", a new app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. The NICHD collaborated on the development of the app, which provides access to digitized representations of serial sections of early stage human embryos for mobile devices, photo micrographs of early stage embryo development, fertilization videos, and a pregnancy calculator.
Storz One of Three NIH Scientists Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Gisela T. Storz, deputy director of the NICHD Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems.
Progesterone Reduces Rate of Early Preterm Birth in at Risk Women
A National Institutes of Health study has found that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, reduced the rate of preterm birth before the 33rd week of pregnancy by 45 percent among one category of at risk women.
Triplets With Extremely Low Birth Weight Face High Risks
Among the smallest preterm infants, those born as triplets are at greater risk than single born infants or twins of dying or developing a disability before their second birthday, according a study by a research network of the National Institutes of Health.
Increasing Awareness of Late Preterm Birth
It is often said that good things come to those who wait. Research shows that this is especially true for infants—every week in the womb makes a big difference in a child's development and health. And members of the NICHD’s National Child and Maternal Health Education Program (NCMHEP) want all health care providers to know and understand this fact.
FDA Approves Drug to Reduce Preterm Birth Risk
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P), a drug that reduces the chances of preterm delivery in a group of high risk pregnant women.
Very Low Birthweight Down Syndrome Infants at High Risk For Heart, Lung Disorders
Very low birthweight Down syndrome infants are at higher risk for disorders of the heart and lungs than are very low birthweight infants who do not have a chromosomal variation, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.
NICHD Director Describes Vision Process in New Web Video
The NICHD has embarked on a process to develop a scientific vision that sets an ambitious agenda to inspire the NICHD, its many partners and the research community to achieve critical scientific goals and meet pressing public health needs.
NIH Study Finds That Overweight Girls Who Lose Weight Reduce Adult Diabetes Risk
Overweight girls who lose weight before they reach adulthood greatly reduced their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Harvard University, who analyzed 16 years of data on nearly 110,000 women.
Higher Oxygen Levels Improve Preterm Survival, Increase Risk for Eye Condition
Two findings from an NIH research network study provide new information on how much oxygen very preterm infants should receive starting on the first day of life and the most effective means to deliver it to them.
Vitamin C and E Supplements Do Not Reduce Risk for Blood Pressure Disorders of Pregnancy
Taking vitamin C and E supplements starting in early pregnancy does not reduce the risk for the hypertensive disorders and their complications that occur during pregnancy, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research network.
NIH Scientists Identify Maternal & Fetal Genes that Increase Preterm Birth Risk
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery. The DNA variants were in genes involved in the regulation of inflammation and of the extracellular matrix, the mesh-like material that holds cells within tissues.