Maternal Health News

Exposure to higher amounts of some types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances during pregnancy may lead to long-term increases in body weight, waist circumference and fat mass, according to new findings.

Black and white women have similar risk for preterm birth and preeclampsia when accounting for a wide range of social determinants of health, particularly socioeconomic factors, researchers reported.

To improve morbidity and mortality rates for postpartum Black women, clinicians must focus on patients’ lived experiences, communication needs and the consequences of structural racism, researchers reported in O&G Open.

Women with fetal overgrowth or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have notable continuous glucose monitor-derived glycemic patterns detected during early pregnancy, sometimes without a gestational diabetes diagnosis, researchers reported.

At-home first-dose misoprostol administration increased the proportion of women completing medical abortion after 12 weeks’ gestation through outpatient care with a favorable safety profile, according to findings published in The Lancet.

Obstetric outcomes for gestational carriers were similar to non-surrogate pregnancies using fertility treatments, with both groups having higher odds for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy vs. general pregnancies, data show.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, or AA and NH/PI, communities continue to face significant racial disparities in health care access and outcomes across the United States, according to an expert.

Multidisciplinary care is key when managing patients with pregnancy-related gastrointestinal and liver diseases, with a “paramount goal” of keeping both the patient and the fetus safe, according to an AGA clinical practice update.

Among postmenopausal women in China, a longer reproductive lifespan was associated with a lower prevalence of experiencing multimorbidity, according to findings published in Menopause.

The decline in maternal deaths after the Dobbs decision was likely affected by a spike in COVID-19-related deaths during 2021, complicating efforts to assess the ramifications of restrictions on abortion access, researchers reported.