A panel convened in July 2025 by the Food and Drug Administration sparked controversy by casting doubt about the safety of commonly used antidepressants during pregnancy. But it also raised…
Tag: Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings unique challenges for people with autoimmune diseases – but with early planning, pregnancy outcomes can be greatly improved
Only a few decades ago, a diagnosis of lupus could mean giving up the dream of having children. Women with systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus were warned that pregnancy was…
Fetal autopsies could help prevent stillbirths, but too often they are used to blame mothers for pregnancy loss
About 60 pregnancies per day in the U.S. end in stillbirth. The best way to find out why a stillbirth occurred is a fetal autopsy – yet these procedures are…
How FDA panelists casting doubt on antidepressant use during pregnancy could lead to devastating outcomes for mothers
At a meeting held by the Food and Drug Administration on July 21, 2025, a panel convened by the agency cast doubt on the safety of antidepressant medications called selective…
About a third of pregnant women in the US lack sufficient vitamin D to support healthy pregnancies − new research
Children whose mothers had higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy scored better on tests of memory, attention and problem-solving skills at ages 7 to 12 compared with those whose mothers…
Keeping brain-dead pregnant women on life support raises ethical issues that go beyond abortion politics
Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old woman from Georgia who had been declared brain-dead in February 2025, spent 16 weeks on life support while doctors worked to keep her body functioning well…
RFK Jr. says annual COVID-19 shots no longer advised for healthy children and pregnant women – a public health expert explains the new guidance
On May 27, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer include the COVID-19 vaccine on…
Pregnant Women Face Lower Odds of Long COVID
Summary: A large study of over 72,000 pregnant women found that those infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy were less likely to develop Long COVID than non-pregnant peers. Using data from…
Prenatal Stress Timing Shapes Infant Stress Response
Summary: New research reveals that the timing of stress during pregnancy has gender-specific effects on infants, altering how boys and girls respond to stress differently. Scientists found mid-pregnancy stress has…
