A–Z Glossary

Observational study

A study that looks for links between an exposure and an outcome without assigning treatment, so it cannot prove cause and effect.

← Back to A–Z Glossary

Search results for: Observational study

Can caffeine cause miscarriage

Can caffeine cause miscarriage

What the evidence says overall When people ask whether caffeine can cause miscarriage, they are usually asking whether an ordinary pregnancy habit is dangerous enough to change. The most balanced answer is that low to moderate intake has not been shown to be a major contributor to miscarriage. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists […]

Can dreams predict pregnancy outcome

Can dreams predict pregnancy outcome

What dreams can and cannot tell you Dreams can feel uncannily specific, especially in pregnancy, when bodily changes, expectations, and fears are all active in the background. But feeling meaningful is not the same as being predictive. A dream is a subjective mental experience shaped by memory, attention, emotion, and sleep architecture. It can reveal […]

Can cosmetics harm the baby myth

Can cosmetics harm the baby myth

What the myth gets wrong The myth usually sounds absolute: cosmetics will harm the baby, so they should be avoided completely. That message is understandable because pregnancy increases attention to anything that might cross the placenta or affect fetal development. Still, broad claims are rarely accurate in medicine. Cosmetics are a diverse category. A moisturizer, […]