Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Position Statement: Prioritizing and investing in pregnancy research

To effectively address maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and health equity, it is critical that the federal government, industry, and philanthropic foundations prioritize investment in and expansion of pregnancy and postpartum research, including clinical trials during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Improving health before, during, and after pregnancy has the potential to benefit pregnant people, neonates, and families through subsequent generations. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) urges: Federal policymakers to prioritize and provide dedicated resources for pregnancy research, including additional funding to study, disseminate, and implement interventions that optimize pregnancy outcomes.Industry and other private funders to increase support for pregnancy research and work collaboratively with stakeholders to optimize the health of individuals during and after pregnancy.Investigators and institutional review boards to presume, as recommended by the National Academy of Medicine, that pregnant and lactating individuals are eligible for participation in clinical studies.Federal agencies to require investigators to provide appropriate explanation and justification for excluding pregnant and postpartum individuals from their research.Federal agencies to require pregnancy-focused studies.Federal and private programs to support training the next generation of maternal health researchers and physician-scientists.Expanding access to research by including pregnant and postpartum individuals from diverse backgrounds and access points, including from urban and rural communities. These critical steps are required to provide an evidence base for practice that will advance meaningful change in obstetric practice and improve maternal and pregnancy-related health outcomes.