Young American women are greeting the prospect of pregnancy with a decided “meh,” driving down U.S. fertility rates, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study says. The actual number of U.S. births declined by 14% between 1990 and 2023, and the fertility rate went down by 23%, according to a paper in… read on > read on >
41 percent of parents wish the government was doing more to address bird flu read on >
Most low-birth-weight toddlers are not on track to be ready to attend school, a new study says. Only one-third of babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds are ready to attend school by ages 3 to 5, researchers reported in the journal Academic Pediatrics. They tend to lag in early learning skills, self-regulation and social/emotional… read on > read on >
Some women turn to weed during pregnancy to help deal with common issues like nausea, sleep problem and stress. Unfortunately, they could be endangering their unborn child’s future behavior, a new study says. Women who use cannabis either during pregnancy or after delivery are three times more likely to have kids with disruptive behavioral problems,… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic set kindergarteners’ development back in several ways, a new study says. Post-pandemic kindergarten students on average scored significantly lower in language and thinking skills, social competence, and communication and general knowledge, when compared to pre-pandemic kids, researchers reported March 10 in JAMA Pediatrics. “The domains of language and cognitive development and communication… read on > read on >
A brain drain is underway in states that banned or severely restricted abortion after the fall of Roe v Wade, a new study suggests. A significant decline in the number of practicing obstetricians/gynecologists has occurred in the 12 most restrictive states, according to findings published March 10 in JAMA Network Open. “Health care providers are… read on > read on >
Kids are more likely to maintain a healthy weight if their parents adopt a responsive style while they’re babies and toddlers, a new study suggests. Children had a significantly lower average body mass index (BMI) through middle childhood if they were raised using responsive parenting, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics. BMI is an estimate of… read on > read on >
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is preparing to study whether vaccines are linked to autism — despite overwhelming scientific evidence showing no connection. The study request came from Trump administration officials, according to sources familiar with the plan. Both President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F.… read on > read on >
A common vaginal infection that affects nearly 1 in 3 women worldwide should be reclassified as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), a new study suggests. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is now treated as a women’s health issue, but researchers reported March 5 in The New England Journal of Medicine that treating male partners along with female… read on > read on >
A mother’s diet during pregnancy can influence her child’s risk of ADHD and autism, a new study says. In particular, the unhealthy hallmarks of a typical Western diet appeared to increase a child’s risk of developmental disorders, researchers reported in the journal Nature Metabolism. “The greater a woman’s adherence to a Western diet in pregnancy… read on > read on >
