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An illustration of a pregnant women wearing a mask, surrounded by microbes
How COVID-19 Affects Pregnancy
Evidence thus far shows that pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk for severe disease and death, as well as complications in their pregnancies.
How COVID-19 Affects Pregnancy
How COVID-19 Affects Pregnancy

Evidence thus far shows that pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk for severe disease and death, as well as complications in their pregnancies.

Evidence thus far shows that pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk for severe disease and death, as well as complications in their pregnancies.

pregnancy, microbiology

A watercolor of a baby in a heart-shaped womb
Sex of Fetus Affects Immune Response to COVID-19 During Pregnancy
Amanda Heidt | Oct 20, 2021 | 3 min read
Male placentas produce more proinflammatory molecules than female placentas, while people carrying male fetuses produce fewer antibodies in response to infection, a study finds.
Infographic: Maternal Microbiota Has Lasting Effects on Offspring
Carolyn A. Thomson and Kathy D. McCoy | Aug 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Work in rodents shows that the bacteria living in a mother’s gut can produce immunomodulatory metabolites and influence the production of maternal antibodies—both of which can affect her offspring’s development.
The Role of Mom’s Microbes During Pregnancy
Carolyn A. Thomson and Kathy D. McCoy | Aug 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Bacteria in the gut influence the production of antibodies and themselves secrete metabolites. In a pregnant woman, these compounds may influence immune development of her fetus.
A collection of headshots
Contributors
The Scientist | Aug 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the August 2021 issue of The Scientist.
Pink background with menstrual products off to the right
No Proof COVID-19 Vaccine Affects Menstruation or Fertility
Lisa Winter | Apr 27, 2021 | 2 min read
Following vaccination, some women claim their periods have changed, leading to rumors about how the shots affect recipients’ reproductive systems, and even others’ by proxy.  
Doctors Investigate Several Stillbirths Among Moms with COVID-19
Anthony King | Apr 23, 2021 | 7 min read
After a handful of cases in Ireland, clinicians there are warning that the virus might infect the placenta in very rare instances and cause fetal distress, but a rise in stillbirths has not been seen in epidemiological studies.
pregnancy pregnant covid-19 coronavirus pandemic sars-cov-2 vaccine immunization moderna mrna pfizer/biontech
COVID-19 Vaccines Appear Safe During Pregnancy: Early Data
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Apr 22, 2021 | 2 min read
Scientists at the US CDC report no red flags in a preliminary analysis of the safety of Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s mRNA-based immunizations among expectant mothers.
Pregnant COVID-19 Patients
The Scientist | Jan 11, 2021 | 1 min read
See a news report on a study of expectant mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Human Fetuses Can Contract SARS-CoV-2, but It’s Rare
Ashley Yeager | Jan 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Compared with Zika and cytomegalovirus, the virus that causes COVID-19 appears to have a harder time penetrating the placenta and moving to a woman’s unborn baby.
Infographic: How SARS-CoV-2 Might Travel from Mom to Fetus
Ashley Yeager | Jan 1, 2021 | 1 min read
The virus rarely spreads from mother to child before birth, but it can—and researchers are starting to investigate the path it takes.
Two COVID-19 Clinical Trials Seek to Enroll Pregnant Women
Jef Akst | Jul 20, 2020 | 5 min read
Upon seeing pregnant women sick with COVID-19 at a University of Pennsylvania hospital, researchers there wrote trial protocols for blood transfusions to treat the disease that include expecting mothers.
Exercise Changes Our Gut Microbes, But How Isn’t Yet Clear
Ashley Yeager | Aug 15, 2019 | 5 min read
Physical activity, independent of diet, shifts the composition of bacteria in the intestines, spurring researchers to search for species that might provide benefits akin to working out.
bacterial vaginosis vagina microbiome pregnancy prematurity
Three Studies Track People’s Microbiomes Through Health and Disease
Emma Yasinski | May 29, 2019 | 5 min read
The second phase of the Human Microbiome Project reports on microbial composition in prediabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and pregnancy.
Zika Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Clinical Trial
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 5, 2017 | 2 min read
In humans, the DNA vaccine elicited the production of antibodies, which then protected mice from Zika infection.
Nonhuman Primate Model of Zika
Tanya Lewis | Jun 28, 2016 | 2 min read
Researchers infect rhesus macaques with the virus to better study its effects in humans.
Week in Review, July 8–12
Jef Akst | Jul 12, 2013 | 4 min read
Editor accused of fraud leaves post; the good and the bad of gut microbiota; bacterial gene shuffle; legal restrictions hamper illicit drug research; antibodies and autism
We're All Connected
Mary Beth Aberlin | May 1, 2013 | 3 min read
A look at some of biology’s communication networks
Roundup from Microbiology Meeting
Edyta Zielinska | Jun 21, 2012 | 3 min read
Some of the interesting stories researchers were discussing at this year’s American Society of Microbiology meeting in San Francisco.
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