Fertility & pregnancy

A global trial will test whether bromocriptine can reduce deaths and complications in women with pregnancy-related heart failure. The study focuses on peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare but life-threatening form of heart failure that develops towards the end of pregnancy or within five months of childbirth. The placebo-controlled trial will enrol approximately 650 women to [...]

Femasys has partnered with SandsRx Pharmacy to support the launch of its FemaSeed fertility treatment in obstetrics and gynaecology practices. The agreement will provide specialist pharmacy support, coordinated access to fertility medications and preferred pricing for practices introducing the treatment. It is the first in a planned network of pharmacy partnerships supporting the rollout of [...]

Vespexx Inc., the AI femtech company behind Soonr, has been named a finalist in the Digital Health Hub Foundation Digital Health & AI Awards 2026 at HLTH, in the Rising Star track, Women’s & Family Health category. The company advanced from the Quarterfinalist stage announced in September. The Digital Health & AI Awards recognise organisations [...]

Up to 20 maternity units in England may need to close or change their role to keep mothers and babies safe, an NHS leader has warned. Matthew Hopkins, the NHS Alliance’s director for acute care, told The Guardian that shortages of specialist doctors and rising caesarean section rates were making smaller maternity units increasingly difficult to sustain. [...]

Posted in partnership with London Pregnancy Clinic The most detailed look most parents in England get at their developing baby arrives around the midpoint of pregnancy. The NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme offers a screening scan between 18 and 20 weeks, and that scan screens for eleven physical conditions. It is a well-run, well-audited programme, [...]

US maternity ward closures are increasing as federal Medicaid cuts take effect, with further closures expected ahead of wider changes in 2027. An analysis by the non-profit Protect Our Care found that 52 maternity wards have closed since the HR1 bill was announced in July 2025, with another eight announcing plans to close. The bill [...]

Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank (EIB) plan €250m to expand women’s healthcare for around 47 million women and adolescent girls from 2027 to 2031. The programme, called the Women’s Health Initiative, aims to improve maternal and newborn healthcare, cervical and breast cancer treatment and emergency obstetric services. It will also strengthen primary healthcare, district [...]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global roadmap to tackle hypertension in pregnancy and reduce deaths and serious illness among women and babies. The plan covers hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, which involve high blood pressure and can cause serious illness during pregnancy. These disorders affect an estimated 10 to 15 per [...]

Pregnancy complications were linked to higher rates of heart, metabolic and kidney conditions in later years, a study of more than 1.4m women found. Complications in a woman’s latest or previous pregnancies were associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease. Gestational diabetes, high blood pressure during pregnancy [...]

Medical professionals are reporting pregnancy and newborn complications linked to extreme heat, according to a five-country survey. Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 73 per cent, said they had seen an increase in extreme heat causing medical complications for pregnant women. Some 76 per cent had seen complications affecting foetal or newborn health. Previous research has linked [...]