News & Updates

NIH announced the final winners of a 2-year prize competition that encouraged community-based organizations to develop the infrastructure and capabilities to conduct maternal health research.

Pregnant women with a thyroid hormone imbalance have a higher risk for low thyroid hormone a year after they give birth.

NIH launched a new federal challenge to seek new innovations in the diagnosis of endometriosis to broaden accessibility and improve women’s health. Submissions are due October 11, 2024.

Compared to White women without disabilities and other women of their own racial or ethnic group, minority women have a higher risk for unintended pregnancy.

The Division of Intramural Research provides fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems through basic, clinical, and population-based research.

Umbilical cord milking, a technique to move blood from the umbilical cord to an infant’s body, does not increase the risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities in non-vigorous term infants—those who are limp, pale and with minimal breathing. The technique provides an alternative for delayed cord clamping for when resuscitation efforts are needed as soon as possible.

Researchers developed a simulation to estimate the life span of youth with HIV and found that some could lose from 10 to 20 years of life, compared to youth without HIV. Life expectancy depends on factors such as whether they acquired HIV around the time of birth or later in life, or received ideal care.

NIH awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence. These institutions design and implement research projects seeking to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity in the United States.

NICHD has awarded $15 million to fund two specialized centers to conduct research on the health disparities underlying uterine fibroids.

NICHD is co-hosting several workshops and virtual meetings on women’s health topics in summer 2024. Please consider registering to participate in discussions and to help shape future research and care.

Results from an NICHD-funded clinical trial suggest that three common surgeries to repair pelvic organ prolapse are generally comparable and safe. This work provides healthcare providers and patients with clinical evidence to discuss available surgeries and decide upon the most appropriate treatment.

Blood transfusions for preterm infants to do not appear to increase the risk of a life-threatening intestinal condition, a new study suggests.

The odds of cerebral palsy among surviving preterm infants born before 27 weeks of pregnancy increased by an average of 11% per year and study authors say the increase may reflect improved survival due to advances in infant care.

Within NIH, NICHD leads research focused on women’s health “below the belt.” This includes addressing a spectrum of gynecological and reproductive health issues, from endometriosis to pelvic floor disorders.

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.

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 women in clinical research promises to help women 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.

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.