Women's Health

The contraction inhibitor atosiban prolonged labor in cases of threatened preterm birth beyond 30 weeks’ gestation but did not improve neonatal outcomes compared with placebo, researchers reported in The Lancet.

Pelvic exams and procedures are a routine part of ambulatory gynecology, yet research suggests some women experience pain that goes unrecognized or undertreated, eroding trust and putting patients at risk for having pain poorly managed.

AI chatbots provided mostly accurate responses to endometriosis questions, but these resources were not comprehensive or accurate enough to replace counseling by health care experts, researchers reported in AJOG Global Reports.

The March of Dimes awarded a grant to further research into profiling the vaginal microbiome and investigate its connection with spontaneous preterm birth, part of a larger effort to develop a test for preterm birth risk.

Micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in preterm birth placentas, but not term placentas, and further investigation is needed to fully understand the impact on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes, findings show.

Maternal acetaminophen exposure identified via second-trimester blood samples may be associated with higher odds of a childhood ADHD diagnosis in offspring, but more research is needed, researchers reported in Nature Mental Health.

States that have adopted complete or 6-week abortion bans have “higher-than-expected” infant mortality and fertility rates, according to two studies published in JAMA.

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels during the first trimester were four times more likely to give birth prematurely compared with women with adequate vitamin D levels, researchers wrote in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

An AI software system trained to detect findings suspicious for fetal congenital heart defects significantly improved sensitivity and specificity compared with unaided reviews of 2D scans, researchers reported at The Pregnancy Meeting.

Women with an unplanned cesarean delivery had increased odds of developing postpartum depression and attending postpartum visits vs. those who delivered via planned cesarean or vaginally, researchers reported.