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Obstetrics & gynecology news
3D lifespan map suggests mouse ovaries keep a constant share of eggs primed
As mice age, their total egg reserve collapses around tenfold. Yet, according to a new study published in Nature Aging, the proportion of eggs in the brief window where a follicle is shifting from dormant to growing stays ...
2 hours ago
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How folic acid may protect a baby's developing brain and spinal cord
For more than 30 years, one piece of pregnancy advice has been remarkably consistent: Take folic acid. The reason is clear. Folic acid, or vitamin B9, can lower the risk of neural tube defects, serious birth defects that ...
18 hours ago
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Many states cover doula care, but access is often out of reach
Doula care has been associated with improved breastfeeding initiation and less maternal anxiety. Perinatal doula care includes education about pregnancy and birth, advocacy for new parents in the hospital, and help after ...
11 hours ago
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What's a doula? What do—and don't—they do during childbirth?
A birth doula is a support person a woman can privately hire during pregnancy. They usually attend the birth and provide nonclinical comfort measures such as massage, assistance getting into different birth positions and ...
18 hours ago
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Maternal vaping linked to SUDI cases involving bed sharing
Maternal vaping is emerging as a potential risk factor for sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), according to New Zealand researchers who say their findings highlight the need to reassess public health messaging around ...
19 hours ago
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Endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure may be linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy
Phthalates, which are chemicals found in plastics, personal care products and hundreds of other consumer goods, may contribute to high blood pressure in pregnant women, according to a study published in the Journal of the ...
Aug 11, 2026
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Where women live may influence ovarian cancer survival, especially among Black women
A new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that women living in socially vulnerable communities face a 20% higher risk of death after an ovarian cancer diagnosis compared with women living in less ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Women with endometriosis face 46% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, study finds
Women with endometriosis have a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women without the condition, according to a new study led by researchers at the George Mason College of Public Health and collaborators.
Aug 10, 2026
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Magnesium sulfate infusion before very preterm delivery protects more babies from cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood and is more likely to occur in babies born very preterm. The condition can affect movement, posture and coordination, with impacts that can last throughout ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Three in four IVF babies in Australia now born from frozen embryos
Australians undergoing IVF now have a better chance of taking home a baby than they did just five years ago, as new data from Australia and New Zealand show treatment has evolved to become not only increasingly effective ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Physicians report negative impacts of abortion bans across pregnancy care
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision allowed states to enact laws that ban or severely restrict abortion. Four years later, a study led by Harvard Medical School researchers ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Higher doses of common fertility drug linked to pregnancy risks
About 1 in 6 people experience infertility, with irregular or absent ovulation among the most common causes. The drug clomiphene citrate has long been a mainstay of fertility treatment, but a growing body of University of ...
Aug 10, 2026
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Falling folic acid supplement uptake threatens progress on children's health, experts warn
Declining use of folic acid supplements before pregnancy is undermining progress in preventing serious birth defects, health experts say.
Aug 10, 2026
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Dense breasts or breast cancer in the family? What screening changes mean for you
The way women are screened for breast cancer in Australia is changing. According to a newly released review, this means moving away from screening based largely on someone's age. Instead, screening would be tailored according ...
Aug 9, 2026
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Wildfires now the dominant contributor to unhealthy levels of air pollution for pregnant women in the US
Wildfires are well-known health risks. Now, in a new Frontiers in Environmental Health study, researchers in the U.S. have—for the first time—evaluated how prenatal PM2.5 exposure has changed over space and time on a national ...
Aug 7, 2026
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Why women need to be prioritized in longevity research
Why do women, on average, live longer than men yet often face a greater burden of chronic disease later in life? Why do some of the most fertile animals in nature, including queen bees and naked mole-rat queens, also live ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Bacterial supplements may boost female fertility
As women get older, their uterine environment changes. This includes a decrease in a beneficial bacterium called Lactobacillus gasseri, which may make conception—whether natural or via in vitro fertilization—difficult. In ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Mammography use has dropped among some groups, study finds
Researchers at WashU Medicine have found a significant decline in mammography use among certain groups of women. A recent study, led by Adetunji Toriola, MD, Ph.D., a professor of surgery and a William H. Danforth Washington ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Oviduct folds speed egg transport but are not essential, study suggests
After ovulation, an egg travels through the oviduct (Fallopian tube) toward the uterus (womb). This journey is essential for reproduction: Fertilization normally occurs in the oviduct, and the resulting zygote continues developing ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease. Too many believe it rules out having children
I often reflect on the advice of an outdated article on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy from 1956. It stated: "There should be no doubt that a woman with ulcerative colitis who wishes to have a child should ...
Aug 6, 2026
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Two women with the same pregnancy complication may face very different risks of premature cardiovascular death
Previous research has shown that women who experience complications during pregnancy face roughly twice the risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease.
Aug 6, 2026
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No clear evidence that common embryo transfer techniques improve IVF success
Preparation techniques used before embryo transfer, considered the most critical step in the IVF process, show no proven effect on pregnancy rates and remain inconclusive because of limited or low-quality data, a new Cochrane ...
Aug 5, 2026
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A bacterial imbalance in men's semen may influence the chances of having a baby
An imbalance in the bacteria found in men's semen was linked to substantially lower chances of a couple having a baby and to more pregnancy losses, according to new research published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, ...
Aug 5, 2026
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Early mental health support before birth may help prevent postpartum depression
Each morning during rounds as a resident at University of Rochester Medicine, Marika Toscano noticed the same troubling pattern.
Aug 5, 2026
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Worse menopause symptoms may accompany type 2 diabetes
The type and severity of menopause symptoms can differ greatly among women. A number of earlier studies have suggested various reasons for those differences. A new study suggests that type 2 diabetes mellitus can play a role ...
Aug 5, 2026
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