News

Individuals born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy and when they were children may be at an increased risk for high blood pressure and diabetes.

Children born to mother who received a steroid injection in late pregnancy do not appear to be at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The findings help to allay concerns that the treatment—given to help fetal lungs mature in case of preterm birth—could affect neurodevelopment.

An AI program has the potential to identify signs of childbirth related post-traumatic stress disorder by evaluating short narratives of patients who have given birth. With further refinements, the program could potentially identify a large proportion of those at risk.

A report issued by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine makes recommendations to improve the safe and ethical inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in clinical research while reducing the risk of liability. Enhancing inclusion of pregnant and lactating people in clinical research promises to help people and their health care providers make informed decisions.

Infertility affects millions of lives. NICHD supports research to better understand its causes and contributing factors and to improve treatments for both male and female inferility.

Infants who underwent surgery for inguinal hernia—when intestinal tissue protrudes through an abnormal opening in the abdominal muscles—after discharge had fewer adverse events than those who had surgery while still in the hospital, a study suggests. The findings offer guidance on the best timing to perform this delicate surgery on fragile infants.

Irregular sleep and late bedtimes are linked to worse grades and more school-related behavioral problems among teens, a new study suggests. Interventions to promote regular sleep hours could potentially boost their academic performance.

Patients with uterine fibroids who scored high on stress questionnaires also had high levels of certain microRNAs—which regulate genes--in their uterine muscle tissue. The findings add to previous studies linking stress to the development and severity of fibroids.

Relatives of men with no or a very low sperm count may be at higher risk for cancers. The findings may lead to new ways for identifying people at risk.

An NIH-funded study suggests that fenoprofen may be a potential therapeutic for endometriosis, a disease that affects approximately 1 in 10 U.S. women. The researchers used a computer algorithm to evaluate nearly 1,300 existing drugs and tested their top candidate, fenoprofen, in a rodent model of the disease.

Health care providers often use the antifungal drug fluconazole “off-label” to prevent and treat fungal infections in infants. Thanks to NICHD-funded research, fluconazole labels now include information about the drug’s recommended usage and dosage in infants, including those born prematurely.

NICHD has a longstanding commitment to research on the effects of exposure to and use of technology and digital media from infancy through adolescence. Since 2020, the Institute has expanded its research in this area to advance toward the goal of discovering how such exposure and use affect developmental trajectories, health outcomes, and parent-child interactions in early childhood.

Around 200 million people worldwide live with endometriosis, a common gynecological disease with symptoms that include pelvic pain, fatigue, and infertility. NICHD recently hosted a discussion about advances and new directions in endometriosis research, and the imperative of raising awareness and education about the disease.

Four children enrolled in an NIH-funded study have remained free of detectable HIV for more than one year after their antiretroviral therapy was paused to see if they could achieve HIV remission, researchers report. The findings suggest that very early HIV treatment enables unique features of the neonatal immune system to limit HIV reservoir development, increasing the prospect of HIV remission.

NIH has announced finalists in its competition to accelerate the development of diagnostic and monitoring technologies to improve fetal health outcomes.

Tiny, balloon-like particles released from the placenta could provide clues to identify fetuses at risk for growth restriction early so that pregnancies could be monitored for complications.

People who receive a COVID-19 vaccine during the first half of the menstrual cycle are more likely to experience a small, temporary increase in cycle length than those vaccinated during the second half, suggests an NICHD-funded study. By providing additional information about what to expect after a COVID-19 vaccine, the findings may help ease fears and anxiety around vaccination.

Taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement lowered children’s scores for schizotypal personality disorder, which features unusual thoughts, speech, and behaviors that hinder the ability to form relationships. The results suggest that regular supplementation in childhood could prevent more severe symptoms from developing in adolescence.

There were more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia in the United States in 2022. NICHD research aims to prevent these and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among women, infants, children, and adolescents. Focus areas include addressing the need for additional STI prevention methods for women and curbing the rise in congenital syphilis cases.

Positive parenting practices, like praising, noticing, and encouraging children’s behavior, may help reduce the faster rate of biological aging seen in children under adverse conditions. Such positive parenting practices may counter the effects of children’s hardships, improving their long-term physical and psychological health.