Women are far more likely to suffer an early death if they develop depression during or after pregnancy, a new Swedish study has found.

Women who developed what's known as "perinatal" depression were generally twice as likely to die as women who didn't experience the mood disorder, researchers reported Jan. 10 in the BMJ.

They also are six times more likely to commit suicid...

Could the immune system play a role in why some women become depressed during and after a pregnancy?

Swedish researchers have uncovered a "bidirectional relationship" between pregnancy-linked depression and autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease.

In other words, women who experienced depression specific to a pregnancy were mo...

Depression that emerges around the time of pregnancy raises a woman's risk for suicide sharply and for many years, new Swedish research shows.

The study found that a new mom's odds for suicide soars seven-fold in the year after a diagnosis of perinatal depression -- depression that arises just before, during or after a pregnancy.

The increase in risk isn't limited to the short-term,...

Acetaminophen, best known as Tylenol in the United States, is a go-to pain med for millions.

However, a new study is raising doubts about its safe use by women who are pregnant.

The researchers found kids born to women who used acetaminophen while pregnant had delays in language development, compared to children born to women who didn't use the drug.

This isn't the first time ...

A U.S. online provider of the mifepristone/misoprostol abortion pill combo saw a ten-fold jump in orders when the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade was first leaked in 2022, a new study finds.

Such orders declined a bit in the months after the decision was officially announced, but have risen once again as women remain uncertain about access to the controversial pil...

New research suggests the effects of high blood pressure during pregnancy may be long-lasting.

Researchers found that women who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy had tell-tale signs of abnormal heart structure and function up to a decade later.

"This study helps to clarify that, for some women, pregnancy is not just a 'stress test' that unmasks underlying cardiovascular...

A class of sedatives called benzodiazepines, which include meds like Ativan, Valium and Xanax, could be linked to higher odds for miscarriage if taken during pregnancy, new research finds.

The findings held even after accounting for possible confounding factors such as anxiety and insomnia, the Taiwanese research team said.

Looking at data on about 3 million pregnancies, "we found t...

When Kelsey Hatcher's twins share their birth story someday, their tale will truly be one in a million.

Hatcher, who gave birth at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has a rare double uterus and was pregnant with a baby in each one. After 20 hours of labor, she delivered two girls -- Baby A on Dec. 19 and Baby B on Dec. 20.

“Never in our wildest dreams could we have pl...

Even Valentine's Day apparently doesn't trump the start of a brand new year when it comes to getting frisky.

Sales of the morning-after pill surged across the U.S. after New Year 2022, new research shows. Nearly 41,000 extra pills were sold in the following week, a period linked to increased risks of unprotected sex.

Sales of emergency contraception also rose after other holidays su...

Women are more likely to have children in the same month as their own birth, and now researchers think they might know why.

Births within immediate families tend to cluster within a given month, according to data on more than 10 million deliveries in France and Spain.

Siblings tend to share the same birth month as their mom and each other, and also tend to share the same birth month...

The Supreme Court will review the ability of American women to easily access a commonly used abortion pill, the court announced Wednesday.

Mifepristone has become central to the response by health care professionals and reproductive rights advocates to last year's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The pill can b...

Sudden nausea and then a quick run to a nearby bathroom: Pregnant women know all too well the misery of morning sickness.

Now, British researchers believe they've pinpointed the root cause of the illness, and perhaps new ways to prevent it.

Morning sickness may have roots in a hormone produced by the fetus, called GDF15, which appears to act on the mother's brain to cause her to fee...

Marijuana use by expecting moms is associated with unhealthy pregnancy outcomes, especially low birth weight babies, a new study finds.

Further, heavier weed use is associated with higher risks for the pregnancy, the researchers added.

“Cannabis use is not safe,” said senior researcher Dr. Robert Silver, a p...

The diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic does not appear to harm a developing fetus when taken by pregnant women, a new study reports.

Researchers found no elevated risk of birth defects among newborns of women who took medications to control their type 2 diabetes, compared with those who took insulin.

During the decade-long study, researchers saw an increase in people trying to co...

Hispanic women who experience spikes in blood pressure while pregnant may also face higher heart risks years later, new research shows.

These "hypertensive disorders of pregnancy" (HDP) -- conditions such as preeclampsia, eclampsia and gestational hypertension -- may even have a greater role to play in certain heart risks than regular high blood pressure, the researchers noted.

“T...

COVID vaccines saved the lives and health of countless babies by preventing their premature births, a new study shows.

COVID-19 initially caused an alarming surge in premature birth rates, but those returned to pre-pandemic levels following the introduction of vaccines, researchers found.

These findings should help allay vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women, said researcher

A pregnant woman's mental health might have profound effects on the mind of her unborn child, a new evidence review warns.

Children appear to be at higher risk for mental health and behavior issues if their moms were highly stressed, anxious or depressed during pregnancy, researchers report.

In particular, children were more likely to have ADHD symptoms or exhibit aggressive or host...

THURSDAY, Nov. 16, 2023 (Healthday News) -- The chances of a woman having two uteruses are rare, but the odds of becoming pregnant at the same time in each uterus are even more rare.

But one Alabama woman is experiencing just that.

Kelsey Hatcher was born with two uteruses, each with its own cervix -- known medically as uterine didelphys. She is expecting two baby girls, one in each...

New mothers living in states with generous mandated paid family and medical leave are less likely to experience postpartum depression, a new study indicates.

They also are more likely to breastfeed their newborns.

“By increasing mothers' ability to breastfeed and reducing postpartum-depressive symptoms, strong state paid family and medical leave laws provide a major boost to the h...

An old scourge, syphilis, is returning with a vengeance in the United States, affecting not only adults but also the most vulnerable -- newborns.

Rates of congenital syphilis soared 10-fold between 2012 and 2022, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The congenital syphilis crisis in the United States has skyrocketed at a h...

A new study provides deeper insight into the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people planning to become pregnant.

Boston University researchers found no increased risk of early or late-term miscarriage resulting from either the male or the female partner getting a COVID-19 vaccination prior to conceiving.