Summary: A large study analyzing over 60,000 mother-child pairs found that a Western diet during pregnancy—high in fat, sugar, and processed foods—was associated with a significantly increased risk of ADHD…
Tag: Pregnancy
Prenatal Stress Hormones Alter Brain Development
Summary: Environmental factors like stress and medication exposure during pregnancy can shape brain development, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Researchers used brain organoids to study the effects of synthetic glucocorticoids,…
Genetics, Not Maternal Sickness, Drives Autism Risk
Summary: A large study analyzing over 1.1 million pregnancies found no strong evidence that maternal health conditions during pregnancy cause autism. Instead, nearly all previously reported associations between maternal diagnoses…
Stricter abortion laws may cause increased infant deaths − 2 maternal and child health researchers explain the data
Infant mortality in the U.S. has increased by 7% since the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned the constitutional right to abortion, according to an October 2024…
Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows
When states give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, it affects nondrivers, too — even the littlest ones. Babies born to immigrants from Mexico and Central America are bigger and healthier…
Prenatal Cannabis Use Linked to Child Aggression and Cognitive Deficits
Summary: New research shows that prenatal exposure to cannabis can negatively impact children’s thinking and behavioral skills, including impulse control, attention, and aggression, which are key for academic and social…
COVID-19, flu and RSV shots − an epidemiologist explains why all three matter this fall
The Food and Drug Administration approved and granted emergency use authorization on Aug. 22, 2024, for the newest, updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and…
Immigrant moms feel unsafe and unheard when seeking pregnancy care – here’s how they’d improve Philly’s health care system
Immigrants make up nearly 16% of Philadelphia’s population of 1.6 million, according to a 2024 report from Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew reports this marks the largest percentage since the 1940s,…
Toxoplasma is a common parasite that causes birth defects – but the US doesn’t screen for it during pregnancy
Imagine the shock of your baby being born with a swollen brain, blindness and debilitating seizures. Now imagine learning that these devastating conditions could have been prevented if you took…
Prenatal Cannabis Use Impacts Brain Development
Summary: A new study suggests prenatal cannabis exposure may influence long-term brain development and mental health. Researchers used data from the ABCD Study to examine neuroimaging of children exposed to…
