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Updated: May 18, 2026
09:04
Comprehensive Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Placenta-Targeted Drug Delivery Using Three Complementary Methods
Published on: September 10, 2018
The PhenX Toolkit pregnancy and birth collections
Nedra S Whitehead1, Jane A Hammond, Michelle A Williams
1RTI International, San Francisco, CA, USA. nwhitehead@rti.org
Annals of Epidemiology
|September 8, 2012
Summary
The PhenX Toolkit offers standardized measures for pregnancy and childbirth research. Adopting these common measures will improve data comparability and advance perinatal studies.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Epidemiology
- Genetics
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Pregnancy and childbirth, while normal, frequently involve complications and adverse outcomes.
- Both genetic predispositions and environmental exposures significantly impact pregnancy trajectories.
- Existing genetic epidemiologic research on pregnancy outcomes can be enhanced through standardized measurement approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce perinatal researchers to the PhenX Toolkit and its relevant Collections.
- Highlight the utility of standardized measures for combining and comparing data across studies.
- Strengthen genetic epidemiologic research into pregnancy outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Pregnancy and Birth Collections were derived from existing measures within the PhenX Toolkit.
- Measures were selected based on relevance to perinatal research and established links to outcomes.
- Author review and revision process ensured the final selection of measures.
Main Results:
- The Pregnancy and Birth Health Conditions Collection comprises 24 measures covering fertility, maternal, and infant complications.
- The Pregnancy and Birth Outcome Risk Factors Collection includes 43 measures assessing chemical, medical, psychosocial, and personal factors.
- These collections provide standardized tools for investigating diverse aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.
Conclusions:
- The intricate biological nature of pregnancy, coupled with its susceptibility to genomic and environmental factors, necessitates multidisciplinary research.
- Adoption of standard measures by the biomedical research community is encouraged to facilitate pooled analyses and meta-analyses.
- Standardization will enhance the exploitation of new research methods and resources for improved insights and interventions.
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