Search | New Scientist

Giving birth at an older age is linked to a longer life in women

14 July 2023

Every additional year before a woman gives birth to her last child is associated with an extra 22 days of life

How new fetal therapies are treating genetic conditions in the womb

26 June 2023

A genetic condition that sees children develop almost no teeth or sweat glands can now be treated by injecting a protein into the amniotic fluid, in just one of a number of new therapies that act before a child is even born

A pregnant woman walking in Hong Kong in March 2020

Does covid-19 affect pregnancies and do the vaccines reduce any risks?

30 May 2023

The coronavirus has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, but vaccines help to keep mothers and babies safe

Changes to surrogacy laws must consider future reproductive technology

8 March 2023

A reform of surrogacy law in the UK could have major ramifications as reproductive technology advances. We need to look at the relationship between procreation and parenthood, says Teresa Baron

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 03: Nicole Fahey, of Altadena, six months pregnant, receives a Pfizer vaccination booster shot from RN Veronique (cq) Vida (cq) at Eugene A. Obregon Park on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. The County of Los Angeles, including Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health, and Norma Edith Garc?a-Gonz?lez, Director of Parks and Recreation, will host a media event kicking off COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11 in Los Angeles County. The COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech is proposed to be given in two 10-microgram (mcg) doses administered 21 days apart. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Covid-19 vaccines during pregnancy protect newborns from infection

7 March 2023

A large study of infants shows that getting a covid-19 vaccination while pregnant can significantly reduce your child's infection risk two months after birth

Genetics may influence the risk of pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure in pregnancy

Pre-eclampsia and hypertension in pregnancy linked to 19 gene variants

5 January 2023

Why blood pressure rises during some pregnancies is unclear. Better understanding the genetic links could lead to risk scores that gauge an individual's risk of developing some pregnancy complications

A synthetic mouse embryo (left) and a natural mouse embryo (right) show comparable brain and heart formation

Synthetic reproductive cells will help us understand fertility in 2023

1 January 2023

Laboratory-grown sperm, placentas and embryos in animals will help us gauge why some pregnancies don't reach full term, but whether these procedures could one day be safe or even ethical in humans is unclear

Fewer than expected boys were born in England and Wales three months after lockdown was introduced

Fewer boys born in England and Wales in early stage of the pandemic

4 October 2022

The covid-19 pandemic has been linked to a decline in the proportion of male babies being born, in line with previous findings that fewer boys are born after population-wide stressful events

New born baby boy with umbilical cord assisted by midwife ; Shutterstock ID 1103699267; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Umbilical cord 'milking' cuts brain injury risk for babies born limp

19 September 2022

Squeezing nutrient-rich blood from the umbilical cord into babies who are born pale or struggling to breathe improves health outcomes

Genetic errors cause most miscarriages, confirms largest study yet

10 June 2022

After analysing the tissue of nearly 25,000 miscarriages, researchers found more than half were caused by randomly occurring chromosomal abnormalities, with many of the remaining losses probably being due to undetectable genetic errors