News by Subject Social & Behavior

Artificial intelligence used to detect signs of ovulation in a woman's saliva automatically and at low cost.

As Catholic health care systems expand nationwide, little is known about the reproductive outcomes of their patients compared to patients in other settings, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Previous studies have demonstrated that fetal malnutrition can lead to adult chronic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. A new study out of China now suggests that it also can lead to early menopause and premature ovarian failure. Results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

A longer duration of infertility was associated with lower sperm count and other parameters of impaired sperm in a BJU International study of 1644 infertile men. Also, older age and higher body mass index were associated with a longer duration of infertility.

The study shows that two-thirds of women did not receive their desired contraception at the six-week postpartum visit, increasing risk of unintended pregnancy.

A new study forthcoming in the journal Child Development examined whether pregnancy changes mothers' neural sensitivity to infants' facial cues, and whether such changes affect mother-infant bonding. The study found that increases in cortical responses to infants' faces from the prenatal to the postnatal period in individual mothers were associated with more positive relationships with the baby (as reported by the mothers) after birth.

Chemicals that are widely used in personal care and household products are linked to girls entering puberty at earlier ages, according to findings from a long-running study of mothers and children published in Human Reproduction journal.

A new VA study adds to the evidence that women's intentions around becoming pregnant don't fully explain whether and how they use contraception. Rather, their attitudes toward becoming pregnant also play a role.