New Study Strengthens Evidence That Infections In Pregnant Mothers Raise Risk For Leukemia In Babies - Mr Validity May 2026

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: Promptly treating infections like UTIs during pregnancy as part of routine prenatal care. This is for informational purposes only

: Mothers with an STI were significantly more likely to have a child develop leukemia. Learn more : Promptly treating infections like UTIs

: Associated with a 65% increased risk . : The study found no significant association between

: The study found no significant association between maternal infections and other types of childhood cancer, such as brain tumors or lymphoma, suggesting the risk is specific to leukemia. Context and Perspective

Experts like Jian-Rong He note that these findings do warrant immediate changes to clinical practice. Instead, they highlight the importance of:

Current scientific theories, such as the "delayed infection" hypothesis , suggest leukemia may be a two-step process: a genetic "hit" occurs in utero (potentially triggered by maternal inflammation), followed by a second "hit" from common infections in early childhood.