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.

With human research trials resulting in dozens of successful deliveries in the US and abroad, doctors move toward offering the surgery clinically, while working to learn all they can about uterine and transplant biology from the still-rare procedure.

Researchers identify live bacteria in fetal guts, skin, lungs, and placentas that activate memory T cells, indicating that early exposure to microbes could help educate the developing immune system.

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.

A case study finds SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in placental cord blood after maternal vaccination.

See a news report on a study of expectant mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infections.

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.

The virus rarely spreads from mother to child before birth, but it can—and researchers are starting to investigate the path it takes.

Transcripts circulating in the blood provide real-time information about maternal, fetal, and placental health.

Trophoblasts, collected from the mother during a blood draw, can determine fetal genetic abnormalities currently diagnosed through amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling.

The authors of the study that found the association say more research is needed on maternal fluoride and child IQ.

A study links having a male twin with women’s educational, financial, and childbearing decisions. Researchers suspect prenatal exposure to testosterone may play a role.

Animal and cell culture studies show evidence that dengue antibodies can both neutralize and enhance Zika, but human investigations have only found protective effects.

MRI data suggest prenatal exposure to the medication increases the volume of brain regions vital to processing emotions.

Signaling pathways triggered by the mother’s immune system may cause complications during fetal development.

Reuters sheds light on the largely unregulated trade of human body parts taken from human cadavers donated for science. 

A new study uses blood samples from pregnant women to track changes in the immune system leading up to birth, and predicts gestational age from the mothers’ immune signatures.

The first-of-its-kind study follows on the heels of ethicists’ urging vaccine developers to conduct clinical trials in pregnant women.

Research shows that human immunity develops much earlier than previously thought, but functions differently in adults.