News | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.

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Women in Science: Diana Bianchi and the Value of Connections

Dr. Bianchi and her lab members are all wearing white lab coats and standing in two rows on a staircase.

Read about the career and achievements of NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi.

Director’s Corner: Advancing Women’s Health: Research to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

NICHD is working with the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to enhance coordinated activities addressing the problem of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Science Update: Fetal weight gain may begin long before gestational diabetes is commonly diagnosed

Pregnant woman’s abdomen, hands shown doing a finger stick for blood test.

The excess body fat seen in infants born to women with gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes is associated with higher maternal blood sugar levels as early as the 10th week of pregnancy—long before the time when women are usually screened for the condition, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, weight gain in the fetuses of women with gestational diabetes first becomes apparent in the 28th week of pregnancy, when many women are first tested for the condition.

Media Advisory: Antioxidant supplements do not improve male fertility, NIH study suggests

A man holds 2 pills in one hand and a glass of water in his other hand.

Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility, according to a new NICHD-supported study.

Item of Interest: Duane Alexander, Former NICHD Director, Dies

Duane Alexander, M.D., a former director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), died on February 16, 2020, from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 79 years old.

Media Advisory: Maternal obesity linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in children, NIH study suggests

Pregnant woman stands on a scale with her hands on her belly.

Maternal obesity may increase a child’s risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to an analysis by NICHD researchers.

Media Advisory: NIH-funded study links natural sugars in breastmilk to early childhood height and weight

A mother breastfeeds her infant inside their home.

Human milk oligosaccharides found in breastmilk may influence a child’s growth from infancy through early childhood, according to an NICHD-supported study.

Media Advisory: Breastfeeding may reduce type 2 diabetes risk among women with gestational diabetes, NIH study suggests

The longer a woman with gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes breastfeeds her infant, the lower her risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Release: Genetic profile may predict chance of type 2 diabetes among women with gestational diabetes

Pregnant woman holding her hand out for a healthcare worker to test her blood sugar test.

Women who go on to develop type 2 diabetes after having gestational, or pregnancy-related, diabetes are more likely to have particular genetic profiles, suggests an analysis by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. The findings provide insight into the genetic factors underlying the risk of type 2 diabetes and may inform strategies for reducing this risk among women who had gestational diabetes.

Release: NIH scientists link higher maternal blood pressure to placental gene changes

A female doctor takes the blood pressure of a pregnant woman.

Gene modifications correspond to blood pressure increases at distinct pregnancy intervals.

Media Advisory: Homicide is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in Louisiana

Woman walking away from man, both face away from the camera.

Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant and postpartum women in Louisiana, according to an analysis of birth and death records from 2016 and 2017. The study, appearing as a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Director's Corner: Addressing opioid withdrawal in newborns, improving pain management for women

NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi observes during an NIH HEAL Initiative meeting.

I recently joined NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, HHS Secretary Alex Azar, and Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome to highlight the integral role NICHD plays through our ACT NOW initiative.

Release: NIH’s PregSource research project now available in Spanish

To expand the reach of its crowdsourcing pregnancy research project, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched a Spanish version of PregSource®.

Release: Pregnancy, breastfeeding may lower risk of early menopause, NIH-funded study suggests

Women who breastfed their infants exclusively for 7 to 12 months may have a significantly lower risk of early menopause than their peers who breastfed their infants for less than a month, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2019

Infocard has the text '2019 Research Advances #NICHD2019' in a blue box surrounded by various images.

Read about NICHD’s notable research findings and activities from 2019.

Director's Corner: Reflecting on 2019

Colorful circles with images of a rehabilitation patient and nurse, a child eating, an ultrasound of a fetus, a biracial couple and infant, fluorescent cell microscopy, and a female researcher pipetting in the lab.

NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi looks back at 2019 and NICHD’s many amazing accomplishments.

Release: Persistent organic pollutants in maternal blood linked to smaller fetal size, NIH study suggests

An ultrasound image scan of a human fetus.

Pregnant women exposed to persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, had slightly smaller fetuses than women who haven’t been exposed to these chemicals, according to an analysis of ultrasound scans by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

Media Advisory: Many pregnant women with HIV prescribed treatment that does not meet federal guidelines

Side view of the torso of a pregnant woman holding a medicine bottle in one hand and pills in the other.

More than 20% of pregnant women beginning anti-HIV treatment were prescribed an antiretroviral treatment that did not meet federal guidelines for use during pregnancy, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Spotlight: Healthy Pregnancy for Every Body

Pregnancy for Every Body. Woman smiling.

NICHD’s new initiative—Pregnancy for Every Body—educates plus-size pregnant women about healthy pregnancy and the importance of working with a healthcare provider to develop a pregnancy plan.

Release: Living in ethnic enclaves may improve pregnancy outcomes for Asian/Pacific Islanders, NIH study suggests

Street scene of New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Among Asian/Pacific Islander women living in the United States, those who reside in ethnic enclaves—areas with a high concentration of residents of a similar ancestry—are less likely to have pregnancy or birth complications than those living in other areas, suggests a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.