One pregnancy may leave behind microscopic souvenirs that prepare a mom’s immune system for the next one, a new study suggests. Experts said the research, carried out in lab mice, offers new insights into a longstanding puzzle: Why doesn’t a pregnant woman’s immune system attack the fetus, which is essentially a foreign invader? Scientists do… read on > read on >
A new government report finds that federal regulators need to do more to help in the battle to keep kids and teens off tobacco. Among the report’s findings were that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to get tough on retailers selling tobacco to youth and should improve its oversight of online retailers. The… read on > read on >
Americans will once again be able to get free at-home COVID tests. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it will spend $600 million to buy and offer the tests, produced by 12 domestic manufacturers, and it will begin accepting orders for those tests on Monday through covidtests.gov. “The Biden-Harris… read on > read on >
The United States is experiencing an alarming wave of congenital syphilis, and one southern state saw a 1,000% rise in babies born with the infection between 2016 and 2022. The number of babies born with the infection in Mississippi rose from 10 in 2016 to 110 in 2022. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection.… read on > read on >
Substance abuse and pregnancy may be a dangerous combination. New research finds that pregnant women with a history of substance abuse had a dramatically increased risk of death from heart attack and stroke during childbirth compared to women with no drug history. “This telling research shows that substance use during pregnancy doubled cardiovascular events and… read on > read on >
Many a new mom knows that when her newborn cries, her milk releases. Now, animal research reveals a newly discovered brain circuit that may explain why that happens. This new study showed that when a mouse pup starts crying, sound information travels to an area of its mother’s brain called the posterior intralaminar nucleus of… read on > read on >
A deadly infection associated with hospitalization may not be the fault of the hospital, but may instead stem from the patients themselves, a new study suggests. Infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is still common in hospitals, despite extensive infection control procedures. The new research may help explain why that’s so.… read on > read on >
Advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will weigh the possibilities and parameters of experiments with artificial wombs for premature human babies. Scientists have already had some success with the concept in animals. During a two-day meeting that ends Wednesday, the Pediatric Advisory Committee will cover regulations and ethics around creating an artificial womb… read on > read on >
The first over-the-counter birth control pill is slated to hit drug stores in early 2024, but questions about cost and insurance coverage loom. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill (norgestrel) for preventing pregnancy without a prescription in July, but pill maker Perrigo has yet to announce the price of the contraceptive. So far,… read on > read on >
A new review of clinical trials with an eye toward successful conception affirms that timing is key when trying to get pregnant. The review found that using urine ovulation tests to time intercourse improved both birth and pregnancy rates in women under 40 who had been trying to get pregnant for less than a year.… read on > read on >
