Archived articles

Pregnancy
Maternal health
Study affirms link between sickle cell disease, risk of increased mortality in pregnant people
Published Feb 6, 2023
The study finds that the mortality rate for pregnant people with sickle cell disease is 26 times higher than the national average—a figure that hasn't improved since the last time this population was assessed
A plate of salmon and vegetables
Health
Mediterranean diet reduces preeclampsia risk, study shows
Published April 21, 2022
Study of more than 8,000 women showed eating a diet of vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, olive oil, and whole grains while pregnant lowered risk of the blood pressure disorder by at least 20%
Blood pressure cuff
Pregnancy
Higher selenium and manganese levels during pregnancy may protect babies from future high blood pressure
Published June 29, 2021
Manganese may also protect against the hypertensive effect of the heavy metal cadmium
Screenshot of a global map tracking vaccine policies by country
Vaccine tracking
Global policies on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy vary widely by country according to new online tracker
Published June 28, 2021
Johns Hopkins project provides worldwide snapshot of policies influencing access to COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant and lactating people
A pregnant woman receives a vaccine
Things to know
The COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy
Published March 4, 2021
Physicians specializing in maternal-fetal medicine discuss the current recommendations that pregnant and lactating women receive the vaccine
A pregnant woman rides public transit
Coronavirus
When will pregnant women benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine?
Published Dec 1, 2020
The hopes raised by the rapid development of vaccines don't yet extend to pregnant women, but their safety and needs must be considered during vaccine distribution, experts say
Blood pressure monitor
Health
High vitamin D levels in utero may help combat high blood pressure in children
Published Oct 8, 2020
The study, performed by researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, analyzed data on 754 mother-child pairs in Massachusetts.
Illustration of pregnant women behind bars
The invisible women
Published Winter 2019
A growing number of women are incarcerated in the U.S., thousands of whom give birth behind bars. Carolyn Sufrin aims to improve the standards of care for this underseen, understudied population. There's a lot we don't know. / Johns Hopkins Magazine
Newborn in an incubator
Reproductive health
Preterm births among U.S. Latinas increased after 2016 election
Published July 22, 2019
In the nine months following the election, 3.5% more preterm births occurred among Latinas than expected, suggesting link between election and maternal stress
Prison cell
Incarcerated Women
Landmark study compiles data on pregnant women in prisons
Published April 11, 2019
Groundbreaking study calculates prevalence of pregnancy in prisons and tracks health outcomes of incarcerated mothers and their babies