Does childbirth increase your chance of breast cancer? Yes. But it also decreases it in the longterm ...depending on how old you are your first time around. It has to do with your hormones like estrogen and the damaged DNA in your...

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, better known as morning sickness, affects roughly 7 in 10 pregnant people. Scientists have spent decades hunting for the primary cause, and they seem to have finally found it: a hormone called...

There are huge varieties of birth control methods because there are lots of different ways to disrupt the process of sperm-egg fertilization.

The first thing a baby giraffe experiences after being born is a 2 meter fall straight down to the ground. But within an hour, it’s standing, walking, and nursing on its own. And a blue whale calf, after nearly a year growing inside mom,...

In the early 20th century, pregnancy testing required a slippery piece of equipment: a female African clawed frog. For decades, hospitals and research labs had a trusted supply of these handy creatures, employing their help in testing...

Mifepristone, a drug used for medical abortions, is under fire in the United States, with critics claiming it isn't safe to use. Abortion rights advocates often revert to a funny talking point to argue for its safety, but how accurate is...

Thalidomide is the infamous drug at the heart of one of the world's worst drug safety catastrophes in modern medicine. And yet, more recent research is finding that thalidomide is still worth using, despite the risks. So what makes this...

Gym teacher Hank gives us the full story of the past, present, and future of birth control.

You may have heard the oddly specific advice that pregnant people shouldn't eat soft cheeses, but there's a very good reason for that, and it applies to more than just dairy products.

From changing diapers to cleaning up vomit, human parents can have it tough, but at least they don't have to incubate their babies under their skin or liquify their own guts to feed their brood like these animal moms do! In honor of...

Unlike lots of other animals, there’s no such thing as the “mating season” for humans, and it might have to do with how we raise our kids.

Have you had a normal menstrual cycle and then you suddenly miss a period? There are different reasons why this can happen, and if you don't experience a period you were expecting, you’ll probably want to talk to your health care...

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, the result of millions of people being unable to get the birth control method that works best for them. Reproductive health advocate and 2023 Audacious Project grantee...

From calories to sleep, there always seems to be something we're not doing right. Luckily scientists have looked into this and come up with some helpful advice to keep us happy and healthy.

Over-the-counter pregnancy tests give potentially life-changing results with a pretty high rate of accuracy. But how do they work? Tien Nguyen explains how each test performs a scientifically rigorous, multi-stage experiment that goes...

It may seem like there isn’t a lot going on in a baby’s brain. But as we continue to study them and our relationship with them, we begin to understand more about the complexities behind those big eyes, and this compilation takes a look...

In 1800s, miners began working in exposed deposits of mud near the town of Messel, Germany. They were extracting oil from the rock and along with the oil, they found beautifully preserved fossils of animals from the Eocene. What happened...

Hank briefs us on the news that a team of biologists has developed the first contraceptive for males that is totally effective, easily reversible and doesn't mess with your hormones!

Getting pregnant as a track and field athlete is often called the "kiss of death" -- a sign your athletic career will soon end. Olympic champion, entrepreneur and proud mother Allyson Felix thinks it shouldn't be that way. She tells the...

Racism is making people sick -- especially black women and babies, says Miriam Zoila Perez. The doula turned journalist explores the relationship between race, class and illness and tells us about a radically compassionate prenatal care...

Unlike lots of other animals, there’s no such thing as the “mating season” for humans, and it might have to do with how we raise our kids.

What's the best sleeping position? Well, with all the pseudoscience to consider, it might just depend on who you are. *The graphic shows the stomach on the wrong side of the body. It should be pictured on the left side of the body, not...

Baby brain, pregnancy brain, momnesia—the fogginess that can appear during pregnancy goes by many names, but memory loss is only one of the changes that occurs while the brain prepares for an upcoming baby.

Another aging rock star, another baby, does age have any affect on sperm, or are these little swimmers seemingly viable until death?