Prenatal classes often focus on Mom-to-be — on her shifting role and emotional needs, along with new skills. But if Dad gets sidelined early into a supporting role, research shows, everybody loses.
A Canadian study suggests that fluoride consumed by pregnant women can affect the IQ of their children. No single study provides definitive answers, but the findings will no doubt stir debate.
Natalie Lynch spent the last two weeks of her pregnancy in a prison cell, mostly alone. As female incarceration rates rise, some states are banning solitary confinement of pregnant women.
Group prenatal visits are catching on — they can save money and reduce the risk of premature births. For one mother, it turned out to be the best decision she made during her pregnancy.
If Melinda Gates had fully owned her goal — writing a book that would strengthen some readers' abortion-rights convictions and open others' minds — she would have called for greater advocacy.
A variety of genetic tests are available to screen both fetus and parents. One option that's growing in popularity is called an expanded carrier screening. The results can be useful and overwhelming.
Remarkably little is known about the fundamentals of how a woman carries a baby inside her. Two Columbia University researchers aim to change that, to reduce the number of kids born too soon.
An influential expert panel recommends pregnant women at risk of depression get referred to counseling to prevent the illness. But for many women and their doctors, it may be easier said than done.
A woman's health issues related to pregnancy don't always end at the baby's birth. Scientists say complications from childbirth, such as hypertension or diabetes, increase her risk of heart disease.
Postpartum psychosis is rare but very real, doctors say. And, unlike in some countries, U.S. moms who need inpatient psychiatric care can't bring along their babies, adding to the trauma.
Despite evidence that mifepristone can help recovery from miscarriages, access to the medicine, which is commonly used to provide abortions, remains limited.
Incarcerated pregnant women are often shackled during medical appointments and childbirth. A provision in a criminal justice bill aims to end the practice in federal facilities.
As illegal meth use has made a comeback across the U.S., pregnant women have not been spared, doctors say. New research shows rural areas in the South, Midwest and West have been hit hardest.
Research indicates bed rest does not improve birth outcomes and can be risky for the mom. So why is it still prescribed by many doctors and midwives for about 20 percent of pregnant women in the U.S.?
A memoir from the former first lady is bringing fresh attention to miscarriages and could help illuminate and normalize the common loss of a pregnancy.
As a woman ages, choosing when to try for a second or third child means weighing fertility odds against the risks of getting pregnant again too soon. A new study provides more data to help decide.
Young women with simple pregnancies can safely ask a doctor to induce labor, a study finds. It doesn't increase their risk of needing a C-section after all and can even offer potential benefits.
Doctors want to remind moms to get certain vaccines while pregnant. Whooping cough in particular can be deadly for newborns, but only about 50 percent of pregnant women get the vaccine.
Infants do better with their parents, studies find, as long as parents have support to get and stay sober. This program starts during pregnancy, to rally and train a strong family support network.
As a first-time mother, journalist Angela Garber craved unbiased, scientific information — not just anecdotal advice. Her new book debunks myths and assumptions about pregnancy and childbirth.
James Harrison, 81, has a rare antibody that can help treat a condition affecting pregnant women. He's donated plasma 1,173 times. But now he's aged out of the donation program.
In a program called OB Nest, The Mayo Clinic has been using a telemedicine program that allows low-risk expectant mothers to forgo some standard prenatal visits.
Adults in a growing number of states can now legally use marijuana without a doctor's prescription. But obstetricians worry pregnant women don't realize the drug could hurt their kids.
