Pregnancy

Study finds that microRNA biomarkers in asymptomatic pregnant women might reveal higher risk for the common and serious pregnancy complication

Individualized mosaics of microbial strains transfer from the maternal to the infant gut

When used prior to other tests, the tool improved cost-effectiveness by 30 percent, an important consideration in areas with limited health care resources

A particular combination of two maternal and one fetal gene variants seems to predispose women to preeclampsia

Timely prediction may help prevent the condition using nutritional and lifestyle changes

Currently, the only way to diagnose genetic disorders in developing fetuses is by retrieving trophoblasts through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling

In a study of more than 16,000 women, improvements in diagnoses might lead to reduction in maternal and neonatal risk

Definitive prenatal diagnosis currently relies on invasive techniques, but that may be changing

Diagnostic improvements are key to slowing transmission

A conversation with Megan Allyse, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical ethics at Mayo Clinic