Pregnancy | DD News

January 18, 2026 9:44 AM

Paracetamol/Tylenol in pregnancy is safe, says European research

Taking paracetamol, known as Tylenol in the U.S., during pregnancy is safe, a group of European researchers have said, after compiling data in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of a link to autism last year. In a review published in the British journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health on Saturday, the team said they had focused on amassing the best-quality evidence to address the claims. “Paracetamol is safe to use in pregnancy,” said lead author A...

December 6, 2025 5:40 PM

Shingles vaccine reduces risk of death from dementia, study finds

People with dementia who received a shingles vaccine were significantly less likely to die from dementia than those who didn’t get the shot, according to findings of a large study, suggesting the vaccine could slow progression of the disease. Overall, nearly half of the more than 14,000 seniors in Wales who had dementia at the start of the vaccination program died from dementia during nine years of follow-up. But receipt of Merck's MRK.N Zostavax vaccine lowered the risk of death from deme...

November 27, 2025 12:04 PM

Thyroid dysfunction continued during pregnancy linked to autism risk

Out-of-whack thyroid hormones during pregnancy in mothers with pre-pregnancy thyroid dysfunction may increase the child's risk of autism, researchers found. While adequately treated chronic thyroid dysfunction did not increase the odds of an autism diagnosis in offspring, ongoing imbalances across multiple trimesters did increase the risk, study leader Idan Menashe of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel said in a statement. The study followed more than 51,000 births, including 4,409 i...

September 10, 2025 1:20 PM

US health officials compiling examples of COVID vaccine harm during pregnancy, WSJ reports

Top health officials under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are compiling examples of harmful effects from COVID-19 vaccines on pregnant women to share with the public, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary and the agency's top vaccine and biologics official Vinay Prasad are seeking to lift privacy protections around certain data on COVID-19 vaccines and preg...

September 9, 2025 1:28 PM

Previous CT scans may increase pregnancy risks

Women who have undergone computed tomography imaging may be at slightly higher risk for pregnancy loss and birth defects in later pregnancies, according to findings from a large Canadian study. The increase in risk is small and dependent on the number of CT scans women underwent before becoming pregnant, said study leader Dr. Camille Simard of Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. Among more than 5.1 million pregnancies in Ontario, Canada between 1992 and 2023, 687,692 were in women who had bee...

January 16, 2025 5:20 PM

Study links maternal exposure to air pollution before pregnancy with childhood obesity risk

Maternal exposure to air pollution — specifically particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — during the three months prior to conception may increase the risk of childhood obesity up to two years after birth, according to a study published on Thursday. Previous research has connected air pollution exposure during pregnancy to a range of health issues in children, such as respiratory problems and an elevated risk of chronic diseases like obesity and heart conditions. Howev...

November 30, 2024 12:14 PM

Maternal exposure to PM2.5 may lead to adverse birth outcomes: Study

Pregnant women’s exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) may alter immune responses, potentially leading to adverse birth outcomes, according to a new study. While previous research has linked PM2.5 exposure to maternal and child health complications, including preeclampsia, low birth weight, and developmental delays in early childhood, the new study, published in 'Science Advances', is the first to specifically examine the relationship between PM2.5 and maternal and fetal heal...

September 17, 2024 5:39 PM

Study shows how a woman’s brain reorganizes during pregnancy

Pregnancy triggers vast changes in a woman's body - hormonal, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, and more. And, as a new study reveals, the brain undergoes major changes too, some fleeting and others more enduring. Researchers said on Monday they have for the first time mapped the changes that unfold as a woman's brain reorganizes in response to pregnancy, based on scans carried out 26 times starting three weeks before conception, through nine months of pregnancy, and then ...

April 8, 2024 11:45 AM

Study reveals impact of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on infant development

A recent study published in the journal "Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research" has revealed that even low to moderate alcohol consumption by pregnant women can lead to subtle changes in the prenatal development of their babies. Lead researcher Bakhireva highlighted that while heavy alcohol use has been extensively studied, with defined thresholds such as 14 drinks per week or binge drinking of four or more drinks per occasion, their study focused on more common and moderate alcohol exposu...