Women who won't leave the house without makeup or a spritz of hairspray may want to think twice about those habits when they're pregnant or breastfeeding.
New research links these and other personal care products, including hair dyes, fragrances, lotions, moisturizers an...
DNA analysis of newborns can detect many more preventable or treatable health problems than standard newborn screening does, a new study shows.
Genome sequencing identified 120 babies with serious and treatable health conditions out of 4,000 newborns, researchers reporte...
A new, reassuring study finds that men can take the diabetes drug metformin without worrying that their offspring will suffer from birth defects.
Re...
Black American infants born with congenital heart disease are less likely to survive to the age of 1, compared to white babies with the condition, a new study finds.
The research suggests that Black infants aren't reaping the same benefit from recent advances against hea...
Babies conceived through assisted reproductive technology are more likely to be born with a major heart defect, new research shows.
That risk was 36% higher in babies conceived through techniques such as
Pregnant women covered by Medicaid are less likely to get an ultrasound exam that can diagnose heart defects in a fetus, a new study finds.
“The 20-week ultrasound is hugely important in detecting birth defects because it involves assessment of the baby’s maj...
Just a daily cigarette or two before or during pregnancy endangers the health of newborns, a new study warns.
Infants are 16% more likely to suffer major health issues following delivery if their mothers engaged in “light smoking” of one or two cigarettes a d...
In an historic move, the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday banned the use of a pesticide that can harm fetuses.
Known as dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal), the weedkiller is used on a variety of crops, including broccoli, onions, kale, Brussels...
Two new studies offer reassurance that using the diabetes drug metformin before and during pregnancy is not linked to birth defects.
The latest findings, which apply to men planning to conceive with their partners or women in early pregnancy, contradict a 2022
The diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic does not appear to harm a developing fetus when taken by pregnant women, a new study reports.
Researchers found no elevated risk of birth defects among newborns of women who took medications to control their type 2 diabetes, comp...
Doctors report they are seeing what they think is a new syndrome in babies who are exposed to fentanyl while in the womb.
All of the infants have cleft palates and unusually small heads, and all were born to mothers who said they'd used fentanyl and other drugs while pre...
Teens and young adult women who survive cancer appear to have higher odds of delivering babies with birth defects, according to a new study.
Knowing this, young women making decisions about pregnancy and prenatal care should receive appropriate counseling and surveillanc...
Faced with growing reports of inaccurate clinical lab tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced that it will for the first time regulate these vital diagnostic tools.
Many Americans might have assumed that the FDA already had oversight of all medic...
Diagnosis of congenital heart defects while a baby is still in the womb offers opportunities for earlier corrective surgery. And that can mean better outcomes for an infant's neurodevelopmental and physical health,
Identifying genetic disorders in newborns and infants can help them get the care they need, but one approach -- whole genome sequencing -- appears far superior to another.
In a new study, researchers compared whole genome sequencing with targeted gene-sequencing. Th...
Marijuana use during pregnancy may impact the baby's brain development and long-term health, according to new research with monkeys.
THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) -- the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis -- altered the placental an...
Ambar Marcus didn't think anything of going to the follow-up ultrasound her doctor recommended around 22 weeks of pregnancy -- until she noticed how long it was taking.
"The technician was a lovely lady who chatted with me the whole time, but I noticed it felt like a ver...
There's good news for American mothers-to-be and their newborns: Rates of smoking during pregnancy have fallen by 36% since 2016, a new report finds.
The percentage of pregnant women who smoked was already low in 2016 compared to decades past: 7.2%. But by 2021, that rat...
Doctors are seeing an alarming increase in cases of a specific genital malformation in male babies, and new research suggests environmental factors might be at play.
The malformation is known as hypospadias, where the opening of the urethra is not at the tip of the penis...
The number of babies born with a virus that commonly causes birth defects may have dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research suggests.
That was true in Minnesota, the first state to start screening all newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)....
Pregnant women are exposed to toxic chemicals in dishware, hair coloring, plastics and pesticides that can heighten their risk of cancer and harm child development, a new study warns.
Public health experts have been telling pregnant women that it is safe -- and recommended -- to get a COVID-19 shot because they are at higher risk for poor outcomes and death from the virus.
New research now answers a key question about the vaccine's impact on their bab...
Babies born to fathers who were taking the common diabetes drug metformin may have a slightly increased risk of certain birth defects, a large new study suggests.
Among over 1 million babies...
People who were born with a heart defect have a nearly doubled risk for severe COVID-19 illness or death and need to get vaccinated, wear masks and take other steps to protect themselves, researchers report.
Those patients at the highest risk for severe COVID-19 were 50 ...
Smoking in the weeks before and after conception has a potentially unhealthy effect on an embryo, Dutch research shows.
"Smoking not only impacts an embryo's gr...
Kids with heart conditions are more likely than their peers to have frequent cavities, toothaches or bleeding gums, a new U.S. government study finds.
Researchers found that of U.S. children and teenagers with heart conditions, 10% had only "poor" to "fair" dental health...
Babies conceived through infertility treatment are more likely to be born early and small.
But there are reasons other than medically assisted reproduction to expla...
Economic status appears linked to increased risk of being born with a cleft palate or lip, new research suggests, building on past evidence that it can also result in delayed care and poorer outcomes.
When a child has severe health problems, the suffering often extends to the entire family, new research finds.
Using data from a single health insurance provider, the study authors assessed nearly 7,000 children with life-threatening conditions and their families, and co...
Gene therapy might soon offer a new option for children with a rare genetic disorder that damages tissues throughout the body, researchers are reporting.
In a study of eight children with the condition, called Hurler syndrome, researchers found that the gene therapy was ...
Women who were born with heart defects may get some reassurance from a new study that finds they face no heightened risk to health during a pregnancy and delivery.
According to the researchers, doctors may often advise these women against getting pregnant due to the pote...
The number of U.S. infants born with syphilis is climbing at an alarming pace, reaching a high not seen since the 1990s, according to new government figures.
Newborn syphilis, a potentially fatal condition, was at one time nearly eliminated in the United States. But the ...
Children whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for severe forms of common eye problems such as far- and near-sightedness and astigmatism, a long-term study suggests.
Collectively, they're known as refractive errors, conditions in which the eye...