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Children exposed to Zika virus in the womb might suffer long-term damage to their immune system, a new study warns.

Zika virus is known to cause microcephaly, brain disabilities and other birth defects in about 5% of children whose mothers contract Zika virus while pregnant, researchers said.

But this study suggests that the 95% of children born of women infected with Zika during pr...

An experimental blood test could help detect pregnant women at increased risk for preeclampsia, a serious high blood pressure condition that can harm both mother and child.

Researchers report the test looks at genetic markers found in tiny particles called extra...

Women who've undergone stem cell treatments for blood cancers, or for illnesses such as sickle cell disease, can successfully bring a pregnancy to term, new research shows.

The German findings run counter to the perceived wisdom on this issue: Many such patients are typically told that safe pregnancies are out of the question if they've undergone what's known as "allogeneic hemat...

Roughly a month after having her second child, Nicole Gerardi-Lukens suddenly felt pressure in her pelvis that was so intense it sent her to the hospital.

When doctors told her bladder had prolapsed -- meaning that it had slipped from its normal position and was bulging into the vaginal wall -- she anticipated surgery and a long, difficult recovery with a newborn and 4-year-old at home.

Expectant mothers who get vaccinated to protect their newborns against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are not putting themselves or their babies at risk, new research affirms.

It found that getting the shot during late pregnancy was not associated with increased odds of preterm birth or other outcomes.

The difference in preterm birth rates between vaccinated women (5.9%) and unva...

Researchers have identified a gene that can trigger obesity, behavior problems and postpartum depression when missing or damaged.

The finding could lead to new treatments for postpartum depression and overeating: The study in mice suggests the so-called "love hormone" -- oxytocin -- may ease ...

Pregnant women enrolled in a federal aid program have better outcomes than those who are struggling to put food on the table, new research shows.

More than 1 in 10 households nationwide lack access to adequate and nutritious food, U.S. government data show. 

The U.S. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides food aid for low-income wo...

Following state legislation passed in 2021 that essentially banned abortion in Texas, the rate of infant deaths rose by almost 13%, compared to a much smaller 1.8% rise nationwide, a new study finds.

The number of Texan babies whose deaths were specifically linked to birth defects also jumped by 22.9% in 2022, the year after the ban was put in place. In the rest of the United States, suc...

Women don't need an ultrasound to have a safe medication abortion, a new study says.

Women who received abortion pills by mail without getting an ultrasound first did just as well as those who were examined and given the drugs in person, researchers found.

"This study adds to a growing and robust body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of medication abortion with...

Depression during or after a pregnancy could be tied to a heightened risk for heart trouble in women decades later, new research warns.

This so-called "perinatal" depression was linked to a 36% higher odds of developing heart disease within the next 20 years, reported a Swedish team led by Dr. Emma Bränn, of the Karolinska Institute in Sto...

Two new studies offer reassurance that using the diabetes drug metformin before and during pregnancy is not linked to birth defects.

The latest findings, which apply to men planning to conceive with their partners or women in early pregnancy, contradict a 2022 study that found metformin use by men in the three months before ...

Eating fish while pregnant doesn't appear to increase a child's later risk of juvenile arthritis, particularly if the fish is oily like salmon, trout or sardines, new research shows.

"We cannot caution pregnant women against consuming fish solely based on this study in regards to [juvenile arthritis] risk, especially considering other research highlighting the positive impacts of a marine...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a case that aimed to curb access to the controversial abortion drug mifepristone, saying the plaintiffs who brought the case to the court had no legal standing to do so.

In a unanimous vote, the nine judges ruled that ...

Many women are unhappy with the state of U.S. maternal health care, but a major new poll finds most Americans don't understand how badly the nation lags behind other wealthy countries in this area.

Only about 2 in 5 (42%) women currently pregnant or ever pregnant strongly felt they had access to the best possible medical care while pregnant, down significantly from 50% in 2022, according ...

Maternal mortality rates in the United States continue to exceed those in other wealthy nations, with most women dying during pregnancy and childbirth in ways that were preventable, a new report shows.

In 2022, U.S. women had a death rate from complications of pregnancy and childbirth of 22 deaths per 100,000 live births, researchers found.

That's a rate more than double and sometim...

Newer epilepsy drugs taken while pregnant won't affect the creative thinking of children, an effect that had been observed in older medications, a new study reports.

Researchers found no difference in creativity scores at age 4 between kids of mothers with epilepsy and those of...

Women who get an epidural during delivery appear to have a marked reduction in serious complications the first few weeks after giving birth, a new study shows.

A painkilling epidural can reduce risk by 35% in women for complications like heart attack, ...

Louisiana has become the first state to pass a law that designates abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances.

Once Gov. Jeff Landry signs the bill into law, as he is expected to do, possession of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol ...

Most young breast cancer survivors can go on to have children despite the effects of their lifesaving treatment, a new study shows.

About 73% of breast cancer survivors attempting to conceive achieved a pregnancy and 65% had a live birth, researchers report.

Those who opted for ...

Fetal exposure to fluoride from a mom-to-be's drinking water might raise the odds for physical and mental health issues in toddlers, new research suggests.

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wasn't designed to prove cause-and-effect. However, researchers believe the findings are worth investigating further.

"This is the first U.S.-based study to...

The nation's top pediatrics group has reversed its decades-old position on HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding their infants.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now says it's generally safe for moms with HIV to breastfeed or provide breast milk to babies if their infection is properly controlled.

Fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other methods don't boost the odds for tumor recurrence in young women who've survived breast cancer and carry the BRCA cancer genes, a reassuring, new report finds.

The issue had been in question because breast tissue can be sensitive to hormones and many assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) involve a temporary boost...

Women treated for infertility were twice as likely as those who conceived naturally to be hospitalized with heart disease within a year of delivery, recent research shows.

They are particularly likely to land in the hospital with dangerously high blood press...

While some states have moved to severely curb women's access to abortion, including abortion pills, over 8,000 women living in those states are getting the pills by mail each month from states without such restrictions.

That's according to new data from a #WeCount survey conduc...

Women who smoke during pregnancy run a higher risk of their kids becoming overweight or obese, and researchers now think they know one reason why.

Children born of moms who smoked while expecting tend to have gut bacteria that is significantly different from that of kids whose moms didn't light up, scientists reported recently in the journal