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

From 1969 to 1988, 25,000 infants were born early each year as a result of hot weather, and with global warming pushing temperatures higher, more babies will be at risk for early birth.

Many dominant T cell variants decline during pregnancy and reappear afterward, possibly explaining why relapses of the autoimmune disease are less common when women are expecting.

The FDA has given the green light to the first major new classes of antidepressant therapies in decades, opening up new avenues for therapeutic development.

A number of epidemiological studies support a link between air quality and poor health outcomes, and researchers are searching for explanations in the lab.

The federal government cautions that the drug can affect brain development in both teens and fetuses.

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

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.

Recent reports of babies born with opioid withdrawal symptoms after their mothers used kratom during pregnancy have generated much concern about the medicinal herb.