Despite routine use of a childhood vaccine, the United States still sees outbreaks of mumps. Now, a new study reinforces the belief that it’s due to waning immunity post-vaccination. Mumps is a viral infection best known for causing puffy cheeks, a swollen jaw, fever and general misery. While it’s usually relatively mild, mumps occasionally causes…  read on >  read on >

Continuing a decades-long trend, the percentage of American women who’ve ever had a child declined again in the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “A lower percentage of women aged 15 to 44 in 2015–2019 had ever had a biological child (52.1%) compared with women aged 15 to 44 in…  read on >  read on >

Sperm donation is apparently a grueling and exacting process through which not many men emerge. Fewer than four out of every 100 men who apply to be sperm donors actually wind up providing a sample that’s used in fertility treatment, a new study reports. The rest either give up or wash out, according to findings…  read on >  read on >

Older women who don’t stick to a set sleep and wake schedule may be more likely to struggle with feelings of depression and anxiety — even if they get a normal amount of zzzs. What’s more, a postmenopausal woman who goes to bed very early and wakes up very early (an “early bird”) or goes…  read on >  read on >

Following the deaths of 15 infants, families are advised to immediately stop using all models of Kids2 Rocking Sleepers, according to a second recall notice. Four of those 15 babies died after the first recall notice, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported. The company is recalling 694,000 Rocking Sleepers. Parents can contact the…  read on >  read on >

A leading pediatricians’ group has issued new guidelines on treating obesity in children and teens that, for the first time, call for early, aggressive intervention that can include weight-loss drugs and surgery. “There is no evidence that ‘watchful waiting’ or delayed treatment is appropriate for children with obesity,” Dr. Sandra Hassink, an author of the…  read on >  read on >