WASHINGTON — While researchers spend a lot of time studying problem pregnancies, a big crowdsourcing effort is now underway to collect information about typical pregnancies.
The PregSource initiative strives to answer the question, “What is typical?”
“We’ve lost sight, I think especially in the 21st century, of women who are experiencing pregnancy in a typical way,” said Dr. Caroline Signore, deputy director for the Division of Extramural Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
“Give us information that’ll help us improve pregnancy care and outcomes in the future,” Signore told potential participants.
So, what do participants get out of it? They get to see how their experience compares to that of the group.
“If your experience is unique, or if it’s an outlier, and is maybe something you want to talk to your caregiver about,” Signore said.
Monthly questionnaires targeting a woman’s specific gestational age cover topics such as mood, sleep, work, weight and exercise. The data on specific individuals is “de-identified” so they remain anonymous.
Participants will have access to a resource libraries from about 20 organizations, nonprofits, advocacy groups and project partners such as NIH, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Lamaze International.
“Very reliable information, so what a woman reads on PregSource, she knows she can trust,” Signore said.
When a reliable amount of data is collected, it will be shared with researchers who apply to study the data.
“Our intent is not only to inform women and provide a resource for them, but also to be a vast and rich resource for people who want to do investigations in pregnancy research,” Signore said.
Anyone who is pregnant is welcome to sign up.
