https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-rss/?title=News%20for%20the%20Kliman%20Research%20Group&orgId=114190 A selection of the latest research, academic, and other newsworthy developments at Reproductive and Placental Research Unit en-us Copyright 2026 Yale School of Medicine Mon, 09 Mar 2026 03:43:40 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/womens-health-research-at-yale-pilot-project-program-award-cycle-now-open/ https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/womens-health-research-at-yale-pilot-project-program-award-cycle-now-open/ Since 1998, Women’s Health Research at Yale’s signature Pilot Project Program has provided critical seed funding for Yale faculty examining sex differences across health in conditions that affect women differently, disproportionately, and uniquely. Our program serves as an incubator for catalyzing new approaches to understanding the health of women, and/or the influence of sex differences on health, consistent with the NIH definition. The 2025-26 application process is now open. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 05:00:00 Z https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/like-too-many-other-nc-families-stillbirth-stole-our-son/ https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/like-too-many-other-nc-families-stillbirth-stole-our-son/ Asking better questions, listening more closely, and monitoring more carefully can mean the difference between life and death. Fri, 31 Oct 2025 01:00:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/showcasing-the-beauty-of-basic-science/ https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/showcasing-the-beauty-of-basic-science/ “Beauty of Science 2025” displays the striking imagery from YSM researchers across disciplines. Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:00:00 Z https://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/columns/ann-oneill-my-son-was-stillborn-measuring-the-placenta-might-have-saved-him https://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/columns/ann-oneill-my-son-was-stillborn-measuring-the-placenta-might-have-saved-him Each year in Minnesota, 400 babies are stillborn. Many mothers and families could be spared this heartbreak if medicine incorporated a 30-second procedure as standard practice. Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:30:00 Z https://marylandmatters.org/2025/09/12/to-prevent-stillbirth-empower-women-with-knowledge/ https://marylandmatters.org/2025/09/12/to-prevent-stillbirth-empower-women-with-knowledge/ There are simple steps that can help prevent a stillbirth, but Angela Moxley didn't learn that until she went through a stillbirth herself. Fri, 12 Sep 2025 04:09:00 Z https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-09-04/yale-study-examines-how-the-placenta-regulates-serotonin-with-implications-for-autism-research https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-09-04/yale-study-examines-how-the-placenta-regulates-serotonin-with-implications-for-autism-research Serotonin is widely known as one of the human body’s “happiness hormones.” But Dr. Harvey Kliman, director of the Reproductive and Placental Research Unit at Yale, said serotonin is also a growth hormone — and it works in ways that can result in bigger or smaller babies in utero. Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:00:00 Z https://news.yale.edu/2025/09/03/serotonin-shield-placentas-critical-role-health-babies https://news.yale.edu/2025/09/03/serotonin-shield-placentas-critical-role-health-babies In a new study, Yale researchers show that the placenta regulates serotonin delivery to the fetus, contrary to past beliefs that it manufactures the hormone.  Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:00:00 Z https://www.miragenews.com/serotonin-shield-placenta-vital-for-baby-health-1526096/ https://www.miragenews.com/serotonin-shield-placenta-vital-for-baby-health-1526096/ The placenta has long been thought to produce serotonin during pregnancy. But in a new study, Yale researchers shatter the deep-rooted hypothesis. Wed, 03 Sep 2025 04:00:00 Z https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-robot-from-china-is-fake-but-is-the-technology-behind-it-possible https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-robot-from-china-is-fake-but-is-the-technology-behind-it-possible A story circulating on social media this week featured a seemingly made-up scientist who is developing an equally imaginary "pregnancy robot." Virality ensued. Sat, 23 Aug 2025 02:00:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/carolyn-m-mazure-receives-elga-r-wasserman-award/ https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/carolyn-m-mazure-receives-elga-r-wasserman-award/ This September, Carolyn M. Mazure, PhD, Norma Weinberg Spungen and Joan Lebson Bildner Professor of Women’s Health Research, professor of psychiatry and psychology, and Director of Women’s Health Research at Yale, received the Elga R. Wasserman Courage, Clarity, and Leadership Award from Yale University’s Women Faculty Forum (WFF). Thu, 24 Oct 2024 07:00:00 Z https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/miscarriage-is-common-these-researchers-are-on-a-mission-to-better-understand-why https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/miscarriage-is-common-these-researchers-are-on-a-mission-to-better-understand-why Dr. Harvey Kliman, a research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine, has long advocated for more thorough investigation of placentas after miscarriage. As part of a study published last year, Kliman examined more than 1,200 placentas from previously unexplained miscarriages and stillbirths. His team found that most of the miscarriages were marked by dysmorphic chorionic villi (DCV), a category that includes abnormal placental folds. Kliman’s team also found about a third of unexplained stillbirths were associated with a small placenta. Thu, 13 Jun 2024 20:14:00 Z https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/06/placenta-stillbirths-research/678570/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/06/placenta-stillbirths-research/678570/ Every year, there are approximately 5 million pregnancies in the United States. One million of those pregnancies end in miscarriage, and more than 20,000 end in stillbirth. Up to half of these pregnancy losses have unidentified causes. Recent and ongoing research, though, suggests that the placenta may hold the key to understanding and preventing some pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth and maternal and infant mortality. A closer look at the placenta—including its size and function—may have a significant impact on stillbirth rates. Sat, 01 Jun 2024 04:00:00 Z https://undark.org/2024/05/29/placenta-stillbirth-research-understudied/ https://undark.org/2024/05/29/placenta-stillbirth-research-understudied/ A recent study co-authored by Yale Research Scientist Harvey Kliman, MD, PhD, in the journal of Reproductive Sciences showed that in the pregnancy losses they studied, one-third of previously “uncategorized” stillbirths can be attributed to a small placenta. His team reviewed clinical data and placental pathology for more than 1,200 unexplained pregnancy losses and determined that the number one cause of stillbirth is a small placenta. This article, the most popular Reproductive Sciences article of 2023, has hopefully opened up a door to confirming where these losses are coming from, he said. Wed, 29 May 2024 04:00:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/why-pregnancies-fail/ https://medicine.yale.edu/ysm/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/why-pregnancies-fail/ Among women of childbearing age, as many as 1 in 4 have trouble either becoming pregnant of carrying a pregnancy to term. Wed, 20 Mar 2024 04:00:00 Z https://www.romper.com/pregnancy/screening-stillbirth-placenta-size-acog-doctors https://www.romper.com/pregnancy/screening-stillbirth-placenta-size-acog-doctors It was the summer of 2018, and Ann O’Neill was pregnant with her fourth baby — another boy. By all standards, this pregnancy, like her others, was healthy and low risk. On the morning before her due date, she noticed her baby had stopped moving. She didn’t want to be perceived as the “stereotypical, hysterical pregnant woman,” but she headed to the hospital anyway, just to be safe. It was there that a doctor told her her baby no longer had a heartbeat. Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:15:00 Z https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/placenta-pregnancy-loss/ https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/placenta-pregnancy-loss/ Dr. Kliman joins guest host Flora Lichtman to talk about his research, and the importance of studying the placenta as a way to better understand what leads to miscarriage and stillbirth. Fri, 27 Oct 2023 18:20:00 Z https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nJhBpeaaJyTees6DHNOp5 https://open.spotify.com/episode/7nJhBpeaaJyTees6DHNOp5 On this episode of the Reproductive Sciences podcast, Dr. Shangaris meets with Harvey J. Kliman, MD, PhD (Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine) to discuss the recently published paper titled "Placental Pathology Findings in Unexplained Pregnancy Losses." Mon, 16 Oct 2023 04:00:00 Z https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/10/03/placental-examination-might-be-able-to-explain-unaccounted-pregnancy-losses-yale-researchers-say/ https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/10/03/placental-examination-might-be-able-to-explain-unaccounted-pregnancy-losses-yale-researchers-say/ Yale researchers published a study last month revealing that over 90 percent of unaccounted pregnancy losses can be explained by placental examination. Tue, 03 Oct 2023 05:44:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/how-the-placenta-can-explain-many-losses-with-dr-harvey-kliman/ https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/how-the-placenta-can-explain-many-losses-with-dr-harvey-kliman/ A Facebook Live event sponsored by PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy and Measure the Placenta. Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:30:00 Z https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/dr-harvey-kliman-study-finds-the-placenta-holds-answers-to-many-unexplained-pregnancy-losses/ https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/news-article/dr-harvey-kliman-study-finds-the-placenta-holds-answers-to-many-unexplained-pregnancy-losses/ New Haven, Conn. — Yale researchers have shown that placental examination resulted in the accurate pathologic determination of more than 90% of previously unexplained pregnancy losses, a discovery that they say may inform pregnancy care going forward. Tue, 19 Sep 2023 04:01:00 Z https://news.yale.edu/2023/09/19/placenta-holds-answers-many-unexplained-pregnancy-losses-study-finds https://news.yale.edu/2023/09/19/placenta-holds-answers-many-unexplained-pregnancy-losses-study-finds Yale researchers show that placental examination could help determine the cause of more than 90% of previously unexplained pregnancy losses. Tue, 19 Sep 2023 04:00:00 Z https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-a-total-loss/id1638946363?i=1000600003358 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-a-total-loss/id1638946363?i=1000600003358 I talk with Dr Harvey Kliman about his research and medical opinion when it comes to the placenta, pregnancy loss/stillbirth, recurring pregnancy loss. He is a research Scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University of Medicine and the Director of the Reproductive and Placental Research Unit with the following Research Interests: Pregnancy Complications and losses, Autistic Disorder, Endometrium, and Infertility. Thu, 16 Feb 2023 04:00:00 Z https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/implantation-failure-and-recurrent-miscarriage-with/id1544999680?i=1000598746766 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/implantation-failure-and-recurrent-miscarriage-with/id1544999680?i=1000598746766 Implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage is rampant. And unfortunately, most patients are left without answers or direction. In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Harvey Kliman MD, PhD, creator of the EFT test, otherwise known as the Endometrial Function Test. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 04:00:00 Z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yWGjLfMMsE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yWGjLfMMsE It may come as a surprise to you that your baby's life-sustaining organ, the placenta, is NOT routinely measured throughout pregnancy. It's as if this necessary organ is just expected to continue growing appropriately no one bothers to make sure. No wonder placenta related issues (including small placentas) are a common cause of stillbirth! Thu, 03 Nov 2022 04:00:00 Z https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Y6MLKQCTGWR2ONmZS6O6U?si=CBu8doPjTGmo5X6Ll2hu5w&nd=1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Y6MLKQCTGWR2ONmZS6O6U?si=CBu8doPjTGmo5X6Ll2hu5w&nd=1 Fresh off the stage of the #bigPUSH2022 in Washington, D.C., where he proclaimed to bereaved parents "it is NOT the your fault", Dr. Harvey Kliman, Yale's World-Renowned MD, PhD, placenta expert is joining us to explain how the placenta can be measured with a simple ultrasound technique he his father developed (there's even an instructional video hand-out for providers on measuretheplacenta.org an APP: Merwins EPV Calculator). Thu, 03 Nov 2022 04:00:00 Z https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ripples-through-waves/id1641764480?i=1000584606817 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ripples-through-waves/id1641764480?i=1000584606817 Today we welcome Dr. Harvey Kliman to the podcast. He graciously spends time with us diving into why his research is important to those who have experienced infertility, or pregnancy and infant loss, why it's not often not prioritized in the world of research and what he feels like are large barriers in our healthcare system today. Thank you to Dr. Kliman for coming to the podcast to share the data, science and research that gives loss families information, and at times, closure, when they otherwise had none. We are so thankful for your work in the world, Dr. Kliman.  If you have experienced pregnancy or infant loss and would like to contact Dr. Kliman and his team to investigate your case further, you can find more information here: https://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/kliman/placenta/pregnancyloss/ Tue, 01 Nov 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/01/prosecutions-drugs-miscarriages-meth-stillbirths/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/01/prosecutions-drugs-miscarriages-meth-stillbirths/ More than 50 women have been prosecuted for child neglect or manslaughter in the United States since 1999 because they tested positive for drug use after a miscarriage or stillbirth. The medical community calls this approach harmful and counterproductive. Thu, 01 Sep 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.lohud.com/videos/news/2022/07/27/stillbirth-parents-look-dr-harvey-kliman-answers/10052431002/ https://www.lohud.com/videos/news/2022/07/27/stillbirth-parents-look-dr-harvey-kliman-answers/10052431002/ Vocal advocates and doctors say the future of stillbirth prevention lies in measuring the placenta. They're pushing for change. Wed, 27 Jul 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.newsy.com/stories/abortion-bans-already-impacting-critical-care-across-u-s/ https://www.newsy.com/stories/abortion-bans-already-impacting-critical-care-across-u-s/ Harvey Kliman, MD, PhD appears on NEWsy on July 23, 2022. Sat, 23 Jul 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.npr.org/2022/07/03/1109015302/abortion-prosecuting-pregnancy-loss https://www.npr.org/2022/07/03/1109015302/abortion-prosecuting-pregnancy-loss Chelsea Becker spent 16 months in a California jail awaiting a murder trial after her pregnancy ended in a stillbirth. "I was prepared to just stay at least for the next 15 years in prison," she told NPR. Becker's 2019 arrest drew national attention. With the backdrop of the Supreme Court blocking a Louisiana law that would shutter nearly all abortion clinics in that state, advocates warned that Becker's arrest would empower more prosecutions for pregnancy outcomes. Sun, 03 Jul 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2022/05/20/women-america-stillbirth-rates/9768577002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2022/05/20/women-america-stillbirth-rates/9768577002/ In October, the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act was introduced by Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., Kathy Castor, D-Fla., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. Passed in the House on Dec. 8, this bill has been introduced in the Senate by Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. We commend the bipartisan advancement of this legislation to finally address the stillbirth crisis in our country. Fri, 20 May 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-common-is-stillbirth/2021/12/10/58820b22-3282-11ec-93e2-dba2c2c11851_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-common-is-stillbirth/2021/12/10/58820b22-3282-11ec-93e2-dba2c2c11851_story.html Research has shown at least 25 percent of stillbirths — 47 percent at term — could be averted. But unlike all these other risks that parents hear much more about, when it comes to stillbirth, no one is empowering families to keep their babies safe. Sat, 11 Dec 2021 04:00:00 Z https://open.spotify.com/episode/71MWuVkvxl6rLuR0kncSdN?si=ClghrI7-RA6_tWbvtNoEfg&nd=1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/71MWuVkvxl6rLuR0kncSdN?si=ClghrI7-RA6_tWbvtNoEfg&nd=1 Dr. Harvey Kliman never thought he’d spend his life studying the hidden secrets of the placenta, but here he is, doing just that, and loving every moment. This Yale University physician scientist is my guest this week on Oh Baby!, and brings to our conversation the many wonders of the placenta, revealing that it is derived from the father (😲), that a small placenta is the leading cause of stillbirth, and that the number of folds in a placenta can determine whether a baby has a high chance of autism. Plus, whether eating your placenta is actually beneficial (or whether you should carry it around on a staff!) This episode deals with heavy matters, but is lighthearted too. Wed, 15 Sep 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/everybodys-got-one https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/everybodys-got-one We all think we know the story of pregnancy. Sperm meets egg, followed by nine months of nurturing, nesting, and quiet incubation. But this story isn’t the nursery rhyme we think it is. In a way, it’s a struggle, almost like a tiny war. And right on the front lines of that battle is another major player on the stage of pregnancy that not a single person on the planet would be here without. An entirely new organ: the placenta. Fri, 20 Aug 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/recurrent-pregnancy-loss https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/recurrent-pregnancy-loss One patient's experience with recurrent pregnancy loss and how a Yale Medicine doctor changed her life by providing an explanation for her miscarriages. Wed, 18 Aug 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/developmental-abnormalities-due-to-fetus-and-placenta-study-finds https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/developmental-abnormalities-due-to-fetus-and-placenta-study-finds A recent study shows that abnormal development is controlled by the genetics of the fetus and placenta, rather than the intrauterine environment. Fri, 09 Jul 2021 04:00:00 Z https://news.yale.edu/2021/05/03/genetics-not-environment-uterus-controls-abnormal-development https://news.yale.edu/2021/05/03/genetics-not-environment-uterus-controls-abnormal-development Yale researchers have shown that developmental abnormalities, including those that lead to pregnancy loss and autism, are controlled by the genetics of the fetus and placenta—and not the mother’s intrauterine environment. Mon, 03 May 2021 04:00:00 Z https://starlegacyfoundation.org/the-placenta-and-what-it-tells-us-harvey-kliman-md-phd/ https://starlegacyfoundation.org/the-placenta-and-what-it-tells-us-harvey-kliman-md-phd/ Our podcast guest is Dr. Harvey Kliman, MD, PhD. Listen as Chris Duffy visits with him about his research of the placenta and pregnancy outcomes. Harvey Kliman, MD, PhD, is a Research Scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology Reproductive Sciences and the Director of the Reproductive and Placental Research Unit at Yale. His clinical interests include infertility, implantation, recurrent pregnancy loss, endometrial receptivity testing, and placental pathology. He both does testing for impaired implantation and pregnancy loss, and sees patients. Thu, 01 Feb 2018 04:00:00 Z http://wtnh.com/2017/01/10/hope-for-women-with-recurring-pregnancy-losses/ http://wtnh.com/2017/01/10/hope-for-women-with-recurring-pregnancy-losses/ For some, every pregnancy ends in a loss within six weeks. “These particular patients always have losses and they are not infertile. They get pregnant easily but they always have these losses,” says Dr. Harvey Kliman, director of the Reproductive and Placental Research Unit in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine. Tue, 10 Jan 2017 04:00:00 Z https://soundcloud.com/onwurd/information-is-the-best-medicine-121215-dr-harvey-kliman https://soundcloud.com/onwurd/information-is-the-best-medicine-121215-dr-harvey-kliman Dr. Harvey J. Kliman, Research Scientist at the Yale School of Medicine, joined the program to talk about Autism and the Placenta. Some recent research raises the possibility that analyzing the placenta after birth may provide clues to a child’s risk for developing autism. Sat, 12 Dec 2015 04:00:00 Z