COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are essential for maternal-fetal health

New research shows updated COVID-19 vaccines still offer reasonably durable protection against infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19, but effectiveness decreases over time. Boosters targeting omicron subvariants are less protective against the now-dominant JN.1 strain.

Immunocompromised individuals require regular vaccine boosters to protect against severe infections and new variants, research shows. Boosters may need to be administered four or more times to offer adequate protection.

Testing immune cells in the placenta may reveal when maternal immune activation negatively affects fetal brain development and lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. Placental macrophages have been found to share transcriptional profiles with fetal brain microglia, suggesting a potential biomarker for fetal brain health.

The University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health are now part of the NICHD Maternal-Fetal Care Network, expanding access to research on pregnancy and newborn health. Clinical trials will focus on maternal mortality, prematurity birth rates, and infant mortality rates.

Research found higher fetal movement frequencies correlate with greater maternal attachment; paying attention to these signals may strengthen prenatal attachment and postnatal caregiving. Fetal movements contribute to emotional attachment formed during pregnancy.

A large Finnish study found that external fetal heart rate monitoring without simultaneous maternal pulse recording increases the risk of neonatal encephalopathy and acidemia. The study suggests that combining maternal pulse recording with fetal heart rate monitoring can effectively prevent these complications and improve neonatal outc...