A deficit in the way the placenta expresses the gene for a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) appears linked to insulin resistance during pregnancy, researchers reported. Photo by ...

Researchers have found evidence that the placenta plays an important role in fetal brain development during the early stages of pregnancy. Experiments in mice show that during a key period, the ...

Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol -- a necessary hormone for fetal development -- and this would affect the baby's development from very ...

A new study shows oxygenation levels in the placenta, formed during the last three months of fetal development, are an important predictor of cortical growth (development of the outermost layer of the ...

During the first weeks of pregnancy, the developing placenta in a mother's womb undergoes a dramatic change. Individual cells merge, forming a continuous barrier that will spend the next nine months ...

Congenital heart defects are the most common form of human birth defect, but we still don’t fully understand what causes them. Previous research had suggested that some heart defects could be ...

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia study highlights the role of genetic and developmental pathways on fetal health and outcomes in congenital heart disease PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ...

The placenta could be one reason why some women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, a new study finds. A deficit in the way the placenta expresses the gene for a hormone called insulin-like ...