Rates of high blood pressure among pregnant women in the United States are on the rise and now occur in at least one in seven hospital deliveries, a new government report warns.

The overall rate of what are called hypertensive disorder...

An experimental vaccine given during pregnancy has shown early promise for protecting infants from a potentially severe respiratory infection.

The vaccine, being developed by Pfizer, aims to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Most of the time, RSV causes nothing more than a cold. But it can lead to seri...

Far fewer U.S. women lost health insurance coverage after giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic than in previous years, likely due to a federal law that prevented Medicaid from dropping people, researchers say.

But they noted that the Fa...

After childbirth, some women who received an epidural for pain will develop a debilitating headache. But minority women are less likely than white moms to receive the treatment that can provide relief, according to a new study.

Researchers also found that even when women from minority groups received this care, it was more likely to be delayed.

"There's a gap in the quality of care ...

A Mediterranean-style diet is known to help protect the heart, and now new research suggests it can also lower an expectant mother's risk for life-threatening preeclampsia.

Marked by a sudden spike in blood pressure, protein in urine, or other problems during pregnancy, preeclampsia can cause serious he...

Smoking during pregnancy does not directly cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, according to a new paper that challenges a widely held belief.

"Our systematic review shows that there is no causal effect between maternal prenatal smoking and offspring ADHD diagnosis," said lead...

There was a 6.5% drop in premature births from cesarean sections and induced deliveries in the United States during the pandemic, likely because pregnant women made fewer visits to their doctors, researchers report.

They said their findings raise questions about whether some decisions ...

When women go into pregnancy with mild high blood pressure, treating the condition can cut the risk of health threats to themselves and their babies, a new clinical trial has shown.

Experts said the findings could change the way many women have their blood pressure managed during pregnancy.

Public health experts have been telling pregnant women that it is safe -- and recommended -- to get a COVID-19 shot because they are at higher risk for poor outcomes and death from the virus.

New research now answers a key question about the vaccine's impact on their babies.

The vaccine is not associated with birth defects detectable on an ultrasound, the Northwestern University stu...

If you're pregnant and questioning whether you need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, new research might sway your decision.

For mothers-to-be, the coronavirus appears to double the risk of serious pregnancy complications like preterm birth, according to a new California...

Women can safely use abortion pills without first getting ultrasound scans, or having an in-person medical appointment at all, a new study confirms.

For more than 20 years, U.S. women have had access to medication abortions for ending early pregnancies, using the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. But for most of that time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required them to have an i...

Rates of postpartum depression among American mothers rose nearly three-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with large increases in major depression and thoughts of self-harm, according to a new study.

It included 670 new moms who completed online screening between February and Jul...

Bringing home a baby should be an exciting and blissful time, but for many new parents, colossal out-of-pocket costs for pregnancy and delivery take the joy out of this milestone.

Some low-income families spend close to 20% of their annual income on medical costs during the year of pregnancy and birth, a new study found.

"Being pregnant and delivering a baby puts many families at fi...

Antidepressants don't always help ease depression and anxiety in pregnant women and new moms, according to a new study.

"This is the first longitudinal data to show that many pregnant women report depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, despite their choice to continue treatment with antidepressants," said senior author Dr. Katherine Wisner. She directs the Asher ...

First-time moms and new mothers of twins may be among those at greatest risk of postpartum depression symptoms, a large new study suggests.

Postpartum depression is a common illness. In the United States alone, about one in eight women report depression symptoms soon after giving birth, according to the

Women with migraine may have a higher risk of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications, a new study suggests.

The researchers looked at more than 30,000 pregnancies in about 19,000 women over a 20-year period.

"Roughly 20% of women of childbearing age experience migraine, but the impact of migraine on pregnanc...

Expectant U.S. women died in greater numbers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, either during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, a new federal study reports.

This increase hit Black women particularly hard. They had a maternal death rate about three times that of white women, according to the