MONTRÉAL, November 6th, 2024 – The majority of pregnant women take medication for various health conditions, but the availability of information about the safety of taking those medications during pregnancy is often limited. To make up for this shortcoming, the all-new HEALTHY PREGNANCY HUB platform, an online information resource about medication and pregnancy, will be officially launched on November 19 at CHU Sainte-Justine.
Financed by the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Gender and Health and directed by Professor Anick Bérard, a CHU Sainte-Justine researcher and a professor at Université de Montréal, the HEALTHY PREGNANCY HUB is the result of many years of research and collaboration with universities, research centres and research institutes, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Black Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Mother-Child Initiative on Drug Safety in Pregnancy, community resources and various people who have taken medication during their pregnancy.
The team, comprised of over 70 researchers from across Canada, is working with over 2,000 people who have lived experiences that can provide up-to-date, culturally sensitive information that is based on solid evidence, in order to support informed decision-making for future parents. The platform includes a bilingual library on the security of medication use during pregnancy, infographics, videos and podcasts, as well as a chatbot to assist in information searches on the site. Special attention is paid to members of Indigenous communities and cultural minorities, about whom less scientific data is available.
Event details:
Speeches and presentations:
- Professor Anick Bérard, Lead Researcher and Director of the HUB
- Isabelle Demers, President and CEO, CHU Sainte-Justine
- Various experts and patient-partners
Quotes
“For over 20 years, I have noticed that women are desperately lacking in information to help them decide whether to take their medication during pregnancy. Many make the choice to reject treatment out of a sense of caution. And yet being pregnant should not mean they have to choose between their own well-being and that of the child they are carrying. This is why I am pleased and proud, today, to present HEALTHY PREGNANCY, an essential resource to equip women and help them make informed, personalized decisions, with their doctor or pharmacist.”
– Professor Anick Bérard, researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and professor at Université de Montréal
About the initiative
The HEALTHY PREGNANCY HUB platform is part of the Canadian Mother-Child Initiative on Drug Safety in Pregnancy – Outreach program (CAMCCO-Outreach), one of the hubs of the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. CAMCCO-Outreach draws on the extensive pan-Canadian mother-child research infrastructure (CAMCCO-Research) and training infrastructure (CAMCCO-Learn) that are already in place, also headed by Professor Anick Bérard.
– 30 –