Genetic finding may allow doctors to predict newborn health during pregnancy

Specific genetic changes in the placentas of women who gave birth to growth-restricted infants have been discovered by researchers. Up to 10 percent of pregnancies worldwide are affected by intrauterine growth restriction, which means a baby weighed less than 90 percent of babies at the same gestational age. The condition increases the risk of a wide range of serious health problems, but the cause remains poorly understood.