News & Updates

A blood test conducted as early as the 10th week of pregnancy may help identify women at risk for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related condition that poses potentially serious health risks for mothers and infants, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Healthy first-time mothers whose labor was induced in the 39th week of pregnancy were less likely to deliver by cesarean section, compared to those who waited for labor to begin naturally, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Sequencing the fetal DNA that circulates in a pregnant woman’s blood holds promise for modern genomic medicine, according to a review article by NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., and a colleague. Fetal DNA sequencing improves the accuracy of prenatal screening tests for genetic conditions and at times has led to the diagnosis of maternal conditions that may have otherwise gone undetected.

NICHD researchers find that sexual minority men are more likely to have lived in three or more different places in the past year.

The Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch recently published its scientific vision. The document summarizes its research themes, which provide direction for future research.

Gestational diabetes may predispose women to early-stage kidney damage, a precursor to chronic kidney disease, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Women in study report sustained improvements in symptoms five years after either procedure

Insufficient sodium or manganese increases risk, NIH study suggests

Understanding endometriosis, causes and treatment, is part of NICHD’s mission. Learn more about signs and symptoms.

Hormonal changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common condition that contributes to infertility, may alter their intestinal microbe populations, according to an NICHD-funded study.

Women with moderate to severe iodine deficiency may take longer to achieve a pregnancy, compared to women with normal iodine levels, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.

NICHD's Dr. Donna Mazloomdoost, program director for the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network, explains problems of the pelvic floor, which affect as many as 1 in 3 women in the U.S.

Dr. Carmen Zorrilla, who leads NICHD’s Zika in Infants and Pregnancy (ZIP) study in Puerto Rico, reports on how Hurricane Maria affected the Island’s largest hospital in San Juan.

Women who have had gestational diabetes may be able to reduce or even eliminate their risk for cardiovascular disease by following a healthy lifestyle in the years after giving birth, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Tests that estimate ovarian reserve, or the number of a woman’s remaining eggs, before menopause, do not appear to predict short-term chances of conception, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study of women with no history of infertility.

Hydroxychloroquine, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases in pregnant women, appears to reduce transmission of Zika virus from pregnant mice to their fetuses, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

The National Institutes of Health has launched a study to determine the potential risks that infection with the Zika virus might pose for pregnancies in which the mother is also infected with HIV.

Experts convened for an NICHD workshop identified research gaps and opportunities to improve outcomes for women affected by opioid use disorder, their newborn infants and their families.

A new task force created by the 21st Century Cures Act and led by NICHD will advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on research needed to optimize therapies for pregnant women and nursing mothers. The first meeting will be held on August 21-22, 2017 at NIH.