About

We are an independent, non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness and help address the information vacuum concerning the use of medicines and medical treatment in pregnancy. By connecting relevant stakeholders, we aim to bring this issue to the top of the healthcare agenda.

Why?

Today, despite major advances in medical science, pregnant women who require medical treatment do not know whether it is safe for them and their future baby to take medicines. And medical professionals often lack the information needed to advise their patients. Very often, the choices are to either to stop taking the medicines, to take the medicine and live with the uncertainty, or to avoid pregnancy altogether.

We believe future mothers who face an illness or chronic disease have the right to access appropriate medical care, regardless of their choice whether or not to have a child. We are convinced that they have a right to make informed decisions about their disease and pregnancy, by receiving clear, unbiased and up-to-date information about the risks. And we expect them to benefit from the progress of science, just as any other patient would.

What do we do?

We are an enabler, connecting individuals, groups and initiatives across the field of healthcare to facilitate the conversation around the various aspects of this important question:

• regulation
• ethics
• research
• care

Our objectives:

Break the Silence: Start a conversation with future parents and healthcare professionals about pregnancy and medication. (Raise awareness amongst prospective parents and healthcare professionals about the issue.)

Collect the data: Help collect and share the experiences of pregnant women and healthcare professionals on one platform that is open to all.

Collaborate to find new solutions: Connect people who share passion for changing the way decisions are made about pregnancy and medicine.

Our advisory board

		Dr. Frédéric Amant A leading figure in the field of cancer and pregnancy research, Dr. Amant is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the KatholiekeUniversiteit Leuven, Belgium, and works as a specialist in Gynecologic Oncology at the academic hospital UZ Gasthuisberg, Leuven. He leads a task force researching cancer in pregnancy and is the principal investigator in the Cancer in Pregnancy study.
		Dr. Aparna Kamat Director of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Dr. AparnaKamat focuses on helping women with complex gynecologic problems and gynecologic malignancies through minimally invasive surgical options. She has received several awards, including the Dianne Denson Tobola fellowship for her research in ovarian cancer.
		Professor Paul Emery Professor Paul Emery is the Arthritis Research UK Professor of Rheumatology and Head of the Academic Division of Musculoskeletal Disease at the University of Leeds, UK. He is also the Director of the Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. Professor Emery provides insights into the treatment of pregnant women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathy (SpA), and connective tissue diseases.
		Dr. Téa Collins Pediatrician Dr. Téa Collins advises the World Medical Association (WMA) on global health issues of concern to the medical profession. She is passionate about maternal and child health, having previously worked with the World Bank Health Reform project (managing technical assistance in maternal and child health) and the USAID Georgia Assistance Initiative (reproductive health/health education programs).
		Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly An obstetrician/gynecologist, researcher, bioethicist, and author, Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly is a cofounder of the Second Wave Initiative, a project geared towards advancing the evidence base for treatment of medical illnesses during pregnancy. She is the Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics and Associate Professor with appointments in the departments of Social Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.