Latest about Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth
Scientists decode 'LEGO protein' that makes sperm swim
Scientists have decoded a protein from sea-urchin sperm that's also found in other animals, including humans, raising a new potential avenue for treating male infertility and developing male birth control.
Should we rethink our legal definition of a human embryo?
Scientists can now create realistic human embryo models in the lab, leading some to suggest that we rethink how we legally define an embryo.
New mothers more likely to experience pareidolia, when your brain thinks it see faces in inanimate objects
Oxytocin may be responsible for new mothers' heightened ability to see faces in inanimate objects, but more research is needed.
Most advanced lab-made human embryo models look like the real thing
New models of human embryos grown in the lab closely mimic the structure of actual embryos.
New blood test could make preeclampsia easier to predict, early study suggests
A blood test looks at "chemical tags" on top of DNA to predict how likely a person is to develop preeclampsia.
'Complete' twist of fallopian tube sent girl to hospital with sudden belly pain
Fallopian tube "torsion" normally affects women of reproductive age and is extremely rare in children.
Muscle-healing gel could be a 'new frontier' for treating pelvic floor damage, very early study suggests
In a study, injecting rats with a new gel helped prevent or reverse pelvic floor damage associated with birth.
Maternal death rates doubled in the past 20 years in the US
Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. progressively worsened from 1999 to 2019, a new study finds, and Black populations face the greatest risk.
1st over-the-counter birth control pill approved by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill after recently being advised to do so by a panel of experts.
Controversial 'vaginal seeding' shows promise in small trial, but questions remain
"Vaginal seeding" may help restore the gut microbiome of cesarean-born babies, a small trial suggests. However, the practice isn't currently recommended by leading experts and previous studies have warned of its potential safety risks.
