In discussions with 300 pregnant adolescents, 42 percent expressed fears of not being able to get pregnant. This is remarkable, say doctors from Rhode Island.

“Many programs aimed at…

Women who are underweight before they become pregnant are at heightened risk for suffering a miscarriage in the first trimester, a UK study shows, but taking vitamin supplements…

Pregnant women who develop an infection of the placenta or nearby membranes in their first pregnancy have twice the risk of getting it in their second pregnancy,…

Does maternal smoking during pregnancy predict the smoking patterns of young adult offspring? Tobacco Control 2006; 15: 452-7

The authors base their findings on over 3,000 mothers and…

Women who develop high blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy have elevated rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and kidney disease later in life, reports a paper being presented…

Women with the immune disease lupus who become pregnant face a much higher risk of serious complications and even death, U.S. researchers reported on Saturday.

Their findings confirm evidence that suggested…

Treating women for periodontal disease during pregnancy is safe and effective, but does not reduce the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight or growth restriction of the fetus, a new…

A new study suggests that moderate exercise during pregnancy is safe even for women with chronic illness.

Black women are twice as likely to have premature or low birth weight…

Hypnosis and acupuncture are promising approaches to relieve pain during labor and delivery, but more research is needed to determine whether these two strategies, as well as other complementary therapies -…

Women who are given drugs to induce labor are nearly twice as likely to suffer an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare but potentially fatal complication of pregnancy, according to a study published…

Women who carry a common parasite are more likely to give birth to boys, Czech researchers report.

In most populations, 51 percent of babies born are male, Dr. S.…

Ana Sanchez, a 15-year-old from Brownsville, Texas, should be going to school and hanging out with friends. Her main concern, though, is how to get enough money to buy food…

Metformin taken by women with polycystic ovary syndrome during the first trimester of pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of major fetal malformations, and may have…

Exercise during pregnancy appears to be safe even for African-American women at high risk for pregnancy complications, a new study suggests.

The study, which focused on poor, urban African-American…

Almost twice as many infant deaths than previously estimated, are because babies are born prematurely.

According to a new analysis by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

Smoking during pregnancy can affect the baby’s immune system which may explain why asthma and respiratory problems are more common in children whose mothers smoke, Australian scientists said in…

New research suggests that the length of time women spend in labor partially depends on race, with Asian women tending to have a longer childbirth process and black women a…

Fetuses of mothers who show high rates of depression, anxiety and stress weigh less and are smaller than average at midterm, according to a recent study from the…

An obstetrician who specializes in multiple-birth pregnancies has confirmed that taller women are more likely to have twins. The suspected culprit is insulin-like growth factor, which has…

Nitric oxide (NO) is best known as an air pollutant produced by vehicle emissions and power plants but for pregnant women it is a crucial compound required to avoid hypertension…

Pregnant women who are exposed to second-hand smoke may be at heightened risk for suffering miscarriages, according to research from Sweden.

“Given the high prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke…

Over the last three decades, the survival of fetuses following a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia has improved in Norway, new research shows.

Doctors attribute this change to the increased use of…

Obese lactating women may reduce their energy intake by limiting foods that are high in fat and simple sugars.

According to researchers…

Weight gain above guidelines during pregnancy is common, according to researchers, and infants born to women with high weight gain tend to have worse outcomes.

Dr. Naomi E. Stotland,…

Though some women worry that labor and delivery will harm their sex life after pregnancy, a new study finds no evidence that childbirth itself affects a woman’s long-term sexual function.