February 14, 2017

Treatments Bring Unique Challenges during Pregnancy with Inherited Form of High Cholesterol, Says MotherToBaby

BRENTWOOD, TN – Just in time for February’s American Heart Month, MotherToBaby, a service of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) that is dedicated to providing evidence-based information to mothers, health care professionals, and the general public about medications during pregnancy, has launched a new observational study of high cholesterol and the medications used to treat it in pregnancy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1 in 3 American women have higher than optimal low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “bad cholesterol,” levels today. In addition, an estimated 1.3 million Americans have an inherited form of high cholesterol called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) that may require them to stay on a cholesterol-lowering medication, even while pregnant.

“For women with FH, fixing the problem isn’t as simple as changing their diet and encouraging exercise,” said Maryam Tarsa, MD, a clinical professor and obstetrician at University of California San Diego School of Medicine who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. “Developing babies need cholesterol to form properly, so there is a theoretical concern that cholesterol-lowering medicines could pose pregnancy risk, but for moms-to-be with FH, avoiding cholesterol treatments could pose risks to both mom and baby,” she added. “The bottom line is, we need more information.”

For this reason, MotherToBaby hopes to empower women and their healthcare providers with the information they need to make the best treatment decisions for both mom and baby through its new observational research study. Compared to other research on cholesterol-lowering medications in pregnancy, unique to this study is the follow-up with moms and babies: babies will be eligible to receive a specialized non-invasive pediatric exam with a study doctor, and may be eligible for neurodevelopmental testing when the child is between 4-5 years of age. Participants are not asked to take or alter any medications, do not need to travel, and are not asked to make any changes to their normal routine. Women with and without high cholesterol, particularly FH, who are pregnant and who reside in the U.S. or Canada may be eligible to participate, and may call 877.311.8972 or visit MotherToBaby.org for more information.

“I think it’s very valuable to participate in this research so I can feel confident I am taking the best steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy,” said one mother-to-be who recently enrolled in MotherToBaby’s research program. “The information I can provide will lead to improved knowledge of best practices during pregnancy and ultimately better care for pregnant women.”

Health care providers as well as potential participants can also email questions about the study to MotherToBaby@ucsd.edu. MotherToBaby is recruiting 375 women for participation in the study.

More About MotherToBaby

MotherToBaby is a suggested resource by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women’s Health. More than 100,000 women and their health care providers seek information about birth defects prevention from MotherToBaby every year.  MotherToBaby has been able to embark on new outreach efforts to reach underserved populations and launch new communication technologies through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, as well as through generous donations made by the public. To learn more about MotherToBaby, the ways to contact its network of experts, or how to support its services, please visit www.MotherToBaby.org.

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Media Contact: Nicole Chavez, 619-368-3259, nchavez@MotherToBaby.org. Interviews in Spanish can also be arranged.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lead During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

What is lead and where is it found?

Lead is a heavy metal. It can be found in many places such as cosmetics, children’s & costume jewelry, old paint, gasoline, and in many types of hobbies and industry. Read more

What effects could lead have on my baby?

High levels of lead during pregnancy can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Other pregnancy problems such as low birth weight and premature delivery can also occur. Read more

Is there concern about lead if I am breastfeeding?

Lead levels in breast milk are usually lower than levels in mother’s blood. Lead may also be found in infant formulas.  Read more

Is it a problem if the father of the baby is exposed to lead?

Lead in the body can reach the sperm. High levels of lead may cause changes in the shape, size, number and movement of the sperm.  Read more

For more frequently-asked questions and answers, please watch the videos above featuring MotherToBaby experts or visit our Lead Fact Sheet here. Disponible en español aquí

Free Webinar for Health Care Providers:

In January 2017, MotherToBaby teamed up with the Pediatric Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) to provide the latest research surrounding lead exposure through a webinar. To view the recorded webinar, click here.

Zika Central: Your 1 Stop for the Latest Information

New information about the Zika Virus is contstantly changing. This page is updated regularly. Please check back frequently for the latest information and resources surrounding Zika or please contact a MotherToBaby Service for additional information that may have become available at (866) 626-6847.

Last Updated February 8, 2017

Fast Facts: Zika Virus

The most common way the Zika virus is spread is by mosquitos called aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. These mosquitoes are found throughout the United States and are more common (including in winter months) in the warmer and wetter states.

• These mosquitoes tend to bite during the day and indoors

For all Zika Fast Facts, click here.

How to Prevent Getting or Spreading the Zika Virus

Zika Testing

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Zika Resources

March of Dimes and MotherToBaby Zika Resources

Zika MotherToBaby Fact Sheets

• English
• Spanish

Past Zika-related MotherToBaby Press Releases

Pregnancy Health Experts Unveil Zika Virus Educational Tools Ahead of the 2016 World Birth Defects Day

MotherToBaby Launches Free App Connecting Moms with Experts in Real-time

BRENTWOOD, TN – What if you could find out the potential effects of a medication during pregnancy by asking a real-life expert instead of unreliable “Dr. Google?” Now you can. In fact, there’s an app for that, according to MotherToBaby, a service of the international non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). As January’s Birth Defects Prevention Month kicks off, MotherToBaby has launched a free, one-of-a-kind app to bring the most accurate, evidence-based information to pregnant and breastfeeding women.

“Information and research about the risks of medications, vaccines, chemicals or diseases during a woman’s pregnancy are constantly changing and can be confusing, or misrepresented in regular internet searches,” said Stephen Braddock, MD, MotherToBaby President who serves as the Director of Medical Genetics at Saint Louis University. “That’s where our new app comes in to help.”

The MotherToBaby app is available on the Android and iOS markets and features the non-profit’s renowned up-to-date library of fact sheets on more than 100 exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Perhaps, its most unique feature is the app’s ability to link the public directly through live chat, email, text and phone with a teratogen information expert (someone who specializes in providing personalized information about the risks of birth defects) so a user can get answers to questions in real-time without ever leaving the app.

Jennifer Zellner, PhD, who is based at UC San Diego and directed the development of the app, hopes this innovative service will fit a need within the health care professional community too, especially when it becomes overloaded during emergency situations such as the Flint, Michigan water crisis and the Zika virus outbreak. “We recognize that health care providers have limited time in a managed care setting to research the questions they or their patients may have about how a particular exposure may affect a pregnancy, or a breastfeeding infant,” said Zellner. “With the MotherToBaby app, providers will now have this information quite literally at their fingertips.”

The app also features a way for a pregnant woman to easily contribute information to the research by sharing her pregnancy. “Including information about our MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies program in the app is one more way of reaching women and letting them know about this incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of future pregnant women by participating in research,” explained Zellner.

More About MotherToBaby
MotherToBaby is a suggested resource by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women’s Health. More than 100,000 women and their health care providers seek information about birth defects prevention from MotherToBaby every year. MotherToBaby has been able to embark on new outreach efforts to reach underserved populations and launch new communication technologies through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, as well as through the generous donations made by the public. To learn more about MotherToBaby, the ways to contact its network of experts, or how to support its services, please visit www.MotherToBaby.org.

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Media Contact: Nicole Chavez, 619-368-3259, nchavez@MotherToBaby.org. Interviews in Spanish can also be arranged.

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