23 September 2025
\n \n \n \nCurrent evidence does not support a causal link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder. A 2025 review of pivotal studies concluded that in-utero exposure to paracetamol is unlikely to confer a clinically important increased risk of ASD, and clinical guidelines on treating pain and fever in pregnancy should not change. Untreated pain and fever can harm both mother and fetus; when needed, paracetamol remains the recommended option.
\n \n\n \n \n1 September 2025
\n \n \n \nTeenagers who experience moderate or severe period pain are significantly more likely to develop chronic pain in adulthood, including pain beyond the pelvis, according to a major new study from the University of Oxford, funded by the Medical Research Foundation.
\n \n\n \n \n17 August 2025
\n \n \n \nProfessor Katy Vincent, Professor of Gynaecological Pain, and Jean Campbell, chronic pain sufferer and model discuss the staggering scale and impact on women and girls, from untreated period pain in adolescence to endometriosis, painful sex and fertility. \r\n\r\nKaty helps Jean explore why women's pain is still so often ignored, misdiagnosed or minimised - and what needs to change in both healthcare and research.
\n \n\n \n \n21 July 2025
\n \n \n \nEight babies born free of hereditary disease using DNA from three people.
\n \n\n \n \n18 July 2025
\n \n \n \nThe research, led by Professor Deborah Goberdhan (Nuffield Department of Women\u2019s & Reproductive Health) and Professor Clive Wilson (Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics) and published in EMBO Journal on 17 July, reveals that the Alzheimer\u2019s-associated A\u03b2-peptide disrupts a normal and essential process of protein aggregation within cells, potentially triggering a cascade of damage.
\n \n\n \n \n1 July 2025
\n \n \n \nDr Eszter Dombi completed her DPhil in Women\u2019s and Reproductive Health in 2019 under the supervision of Professor Joanna Poulton, focusing on mitochondrial quality control and its potential role in treating mitochondrial diseases.\r\n\r\nSince then, she has built an impressive research career spanning Oxford and the United States, and now leads cutting-edge CRISPR-Cas9 screening projects at the University of Oxford\u2019s Target Discovery Institute.
\n \n\n \n \n10 June 2025
\n \n \n \nA recent study with insight from Prof. Aris Papageorghiou, published in The Lancet, highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect congenital heart defects (CHDs) in unborn babies, with research conducted by one of our research teams and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
\n \n\n \n \n22 May 2025
\n \n \n \nDr Tatjana Gibbons, an investigator on the ongoing DETECT study, presented results at the World Congress on Endometriosis 2025. The study aims to determine the feasibility of detecting endometriosis using 99mTc-maraciclatide and single-photon emission computed tomography.
\n \n\n \n \n15 May 2025
\n \n \n \nA new research trial, known as the PANDA study, has been launched to explore whether iron supplementation during pregnancy can reduce the risk of stillbirth.
\n \n\n \n \n29 April 2025
\n \n \n \nResearch published in the journal Human Reproduction reveals that women with endometriosis are at a significantly higher risk for developing a range of autoimmune, autoinflammatory, and mixed-pattern diseases. This new study, of unprecedented scale, examines not only clinical associations, but also for the first time the biological basis for these comorbidities - through genetics. It identifies osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease, and psoriasis among the comorbid conditions significantly linked to endometriosis.
\n \n\n \n \n7 April 2025
\n \n \n \nDr. Nathalie Conrad has received a prestigious Wellcome Career Development Award to support her research investigating the epidemiology of congenital heart disease.
\n \n\n \n \n18 March 2025
\n \n \n \nResearchers are exploring an innovative approach to boost genetic diversity and help endangered species by using animal dung. Dubbed the \u201cPoo Zoo\u201d the project focuses on extracting living cells from fresh faeces, which could be used to aid conservation efforts.
\n \n\n \n \n17 March 2025
\n \n \n \nThe release of the government's ME/CFS delivery plan is imminent, but the lack of a strategic call for these complex, chronic conditions has left patients frustrated and demanding action.
\n \n\n \n \n17 March 2025
\n \n \n \nA huge congratulations to Professor Chris Yau on becoming Co-Director for the new CDT in Fundamentals of AI, an exciting new initiative in partnership with EIT Oxford (The Ellison Institute of Technology).
\n \n\n \n \n27 February 2025
\n \n \n \nIn her article, journalist Lydia Denworth explores how endometriosis, often associated with pelvic pain, can impact the entire body, featuring insights from Professor Krina Zondervan on the broader effects of this often misunderstood condition.
\n \n\n \n \n17 February 2025
\n \n \n \nThe University of Oxford has been named Top Institution for Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health in The Times Higher Education Subject Ranking (THE), marking an impressive 14th consecutive year in this prestigious position. NDWRH sits within the Medical Sciences Division (MSD), the largest of the four academic divisions and an internationally recognised centre of excellence for biomedical and clinical research and teaching.
\n \n\n \n \n12 February 2025
\n \n \n \nWould you be interested in joining a focus group on 27 February 2025 to help us shape a research study?
\n \n\n \n \n20 January 2025
\n \n \n \nRegister your interest in our MSc in Clinical Embryology virtual open event.\r\n\r\nThis is one-year MSc provides graduates from either a scientific or clinical background with advanced theoretical and practical understanding of human reproductive biology, embryology, infertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART).
\n \n\n \n \n10 January 2025
\n \n \n \nThe Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) has published a report with proposals for the governance of research using human stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) -\u00a0structures created from stem cells which resemble or replicate aspects of an embryo. The proposals include legislation to distinguish them from embryos and to provide reassurance that ethical \u2018red lines\u2019 such as transferring a SCBEM into a human or other animal, or developing SCBEMs that can feel pain, are not crossed.
\n \n\n \n \n18 December 2024
\n \n \n \nAcademic posters are a key way researchers share their findings with others. Often presented at conferences, these posters allow researchers to communicate their work to both fellow academics and the public. You may have come across research posters while walking through university buildings \u2013 take a moment to stop and explore them. They offer a great opportunity to learn more about the latest research in your field of study.
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