MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies

Ongoing Studies: Providing Better Information on Medication Safety in Pregnancy

MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies provide much-needed information on medication and vaccine safety in pregnancy. Our studies are observational; women who are pregnant are not asked to take any medications or change their current treatments. We simply follow women who are pregnant who have – and who have not – taken a medication of interest until they deliver their baby, and then follow their babies for a period of time after birth. We collect information along the way that allows us to determine if the medication/vaccine may pose a risk to a pregnancy or a developing baby. 

Did you know that 9 out of 10 women who are women in the U.S. take medication, yet many medications currently don’t have enough safety information?

Our MotherToBaby pregnancy studies research coordinated by UC San Diego’s Center for Better Beginnings has been instrumental in identifying previously unrecognized exposures that can be harmful to pregnancy, as well as ruling out substantial risk for other medications and vaccines. Opportunities to join a study are available to residents of the United States, the U.S. territories, and Canada. Our goal is to provide parents and their health providers with the evidence-based information that they need to make more informed healthcare decisions during pregnancy for the health of the person who is pregnant and their pregnancy. To do that, we need your help.

Find a MotherToBaby Pregnancy Study

Use the expandable accordion to browse our ongoing studies by health condition or by the name of the medication or vaccine.

 Additional Research Opportunities 

MotherToBaby encourages individuals to participate in pregnancy and breastfeeding studies. Learn about additional research opportunities outside of MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies. Your participation will help gather valuable insights to better understand the safety of medications and vaccines used during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. 

A Strong Study Design for Strong Risk Prediction

We enroll three different groups of women who are pregnant into our studies, and it bears repeating that women who participate are not asked to take any medications or change their current treatments. Anyone who belongs to one of these groups could qualify to join our studies:

Women with certain health conditions who have taken a medication or vaccine that we’re studying during pregnancy. 

Women who have the same health conditions as those in Group 1 but who have not taken the medication/vaccine of interest during pregnancy. 

Women who do not have the health condition being studied and who have not taken the medication/vaccine of interest during pregnancy.

We can then compare these three groups to determine if a woman’s underlying health condition or their exposure to the medication/vaccine of interest may cause an increased risk for pregnancy or delivery complications or birth defects.

Help Us Find Answers to Common Questions

How can my health condition affect pregnancy?

Women with health conditions can and do have healthy pregnancies. But some health conditions, especially if left untreated, could increase the chance for pregnancy complications. Our studies can help identify the risks associated with select health conditions, so that future parents-to-be and their health providers can better manage these risks.

How could the medication I take affect my pregnancy?”

When taken during pregnancy, many medications or other exposures may have no effect on (or could even have a benefit to) the pregnancy. But some medications may increase the chance of complications like miscarriage, preterm birth, or birth defects. Our observational studies look at both your health condition and the treatments that you take to learn more about medication safety in all stages of pregnancy. Our research has been instrumental in identifying medications that may be harmful to pregnancy, as well as ruling out substantial risk for other medications.

Does my medication increase the risks to my pregnancy?

9 out of 10 women in the U.S. take a medication during pregnancy. Yet most medications don’t have enough information about their use in pregnancy. With your participation in our observational research studies, we can provide the information that women and health providers need to make informed treatment decisions.

“Every person deserves to know if their health conditions or the medication they need to take could affect their baby during pregnancy. We are committed to bringing you better information for healthier outcomes.”

– Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH