Will there be studies in the future that will look at whether certain medicines or products are safe for pregnant women?
To help women make informed and educated decisions about using medicines during pregnancy, it is necessary to find out the effect of these medicines on the unborn baby. Pregnancy Registries are one way to do this. A Pregnancy Registry is a study that enrolls pregnant women after they have been taking medicine and before the birth of the baby. Babies born to women taking a particular medicine are compared with babies of women not taking the medicine. Looking at a large number of women and babies is needed to find out the effect of the medicine on the babies. If your spouse is pregnant and currently taking medicine — or has been exposed to a medicine during her pregnancy — she may be able to join and help with this needed information.
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) web site (http://www.fda.gov/womens/registries/) has a list of pregnancy registries that are enrolling pregnant women.