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The transition from fertilized egg to newborn baby requires an incredibly complex network of genes, proteins and biochemical signals that scientists are only beginning to understand. Most of the…

Responding to actor Tom Cruise’s purchase of an ultrasound machine to monitor his fiance’e's fetus, California lawmakers voted on Thursday to restrict sales of the machines.

The California Assembly voted 55-7…

Hepatitis A infections in pregnant women are associated with high rates of complications and preterm labor, according to Israeli researchers.

While the disease is the most common type of acute hepatitis, there…

Women who gain weight between pregnancies have an increased risk of developing recurrent disorders marked by high blood pressure in a second pregnancy, researchers from Iceland report.

Dr. Sigrun Hjartardottir of…

A compelling connection exists between colicy babies and postpartum depression, according to a study conducted by a Brown Medical School professor and Rhode Island Department of Health family health experts.

The…

The causes of the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States, spina bifida, are not well understood. And, there is no cure.

The most recent…

For women who’ve previously had a preterm delivery, having sex during early pregnancy does not affect the likelihood of having another preterm birth, new research shows.

Cutting back on physical activity,…

Beatrice Riobe has played her part in giving France the second highest birth rate in Europe.

Riobe has nine children aged 4 to 19: her case is rare and this…

Among women pregnant for the first time, antioxidant vitamins supplementation does not appear to curb the risk of developing preeclampsia - that is, pregnancy-related high blood pressure and kidney impairment…

Doctors writing in the BMJ express concern over the apparent increase in preterm births.

Research from Denmark, published on bmj.com in February, found that preterm deliveries increased by 22%…

Congenital rubella syndrome, a birth defect caused by the rubella virus (also known as German measles), has practically been eliminated in the U.S., according to a statement published…

Children born as a result of assisted reproduction technologies are generally well adjusted, survey results suggest.

However, children who lack a genetic link to one of the parents - by reason…

There is good evidence that fetuses cannot feel pain, says an expert in this week’s BMJ.

Proposals to tell women seeking abortions that their unborn child will feel pain, or to provide pain…

The medical and environmental risks often associated with premature birth affect the attention abilities of premature children all the way throughout adolescence, researchers report in the journal Child Development.

There’s still no way to choose the sex of your baby, but Dutch researchers say they have found a way to better predict whether an expectant mom…

Children born to teenage mothers who were iron deficient early in their pregnancies were less active at age 3 than the children of…

Treatment with the antiviral drug valacyclovir, sold as Valtrex, curbs recurrent bouts of genital herpes in pregnant women, a study shows. Moreover, no safety concerns were identified in mothers, fetuses,…

Women with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis - two rheumatic diseases in which the immune system mistakenly attacks tissues in the body - face an increased risk of pregnancy complications, according to a…

Clot-busting drugs, such as rt-PA or urokinase, can be used to treat strokes during pregnancy, but there are important risks for the mother and fetus, according to a new report.

A study of pregnant women with chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, shows that the antibiotic azithromycin is highly effective with no significant adverse effects on mother or infant, physicians at the…

Babies born to women hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons during pregnancy are smaller, have lower Apgar scores and are more likely to be admitted to a special care unit,…

“Even though it’s ‘oh so trendy’ to carry water, during pregnancy it is quite wise,” says Mary Brucker, director of the Women’s Health Education Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Women who take decongestants during pregnancy don’t appear to risk having poor outcomes or to be putting their baby at risk for birth defects, a Swedish team reports.

A…

Fibroids are quite often discovered on a sonogram after a woman becomes pregnant, and they are associated with an increased likelihood of complications such as cesarean delivery, breech presentation and preterm birth.

Those…

More doctors must be trained to prevent pregnant mothers with heart disease from dying unnecessarily, experts say.

Women with heart disease are 100 times more likely to die in pregnancy than other…