The majority of women will take at least one medication during their pregnancy, but they greatly lack information on the risks this entails. Faced with this flaw, a first pan-Canadian information platform on medications and pregnancy intended for the general public was officially launched Tuesday at CHU Sainte-Justine, in Montreal.
The online platform, which is called HUB PREGNANCY in Health, is a resource of reliable information which is the result of 20 years of research on the risks and benefits of medications in pregnant women. It includes a bilingual library on the safety of medications taken during pregnancy, infographics, video clips and podcasts as well as a chat agent to facilitate research on the site. Particular attention was also paid to the issues of indigenous communities and cultural minorities, for which scientific data is rarer. The project is led by Anick Bérard, researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal. “Three out of four pregnant people will take at least one medication during their pregnancy. It could be Tylenol, acetaminophen or an anti-epileptic drug. The spectrum is very broad, but the fact remains that 75%, therefore the majority of pregnant people, will take medication during their pregnancy. And they always ask whether they should take it or not, what are the risks or the benefits,” relates Ms. Bérard at a press conference during the launch of the platform.
She indicates that there is more and more research on the subject, but it is not transmitted to the target population, that is to say pregnant women and families. “Sometimes even, the information does not reach prescribers, doctors and pharmacists who can now prescribe more [au Québec]», says Ms. Bérard. Simon De Denus, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal, believes that the involvement of health professionals is a critical aspect in this transmission of knowledge. “And this is why the multidisciplinary approach behind this platform, which includes pharmacists among others, is so important,” he says. Caring for pregnant women requires basing decisions on the best available data in order to choose the best medication or in certain cases, to choose not to take medication.” To update the information, the PREGNANCY HUB in Health relies on the collaboration of 70 researchers across Canada as well as 2,000 people who share their lived experience.
Katie DiCaprio is one of the partner moms. She notes that a stigma persists for women who take medication during their pregnancy. They are ashamed to take medicine and their priority is the health of the baby. Ms. DiCaprio emphasizes, however, that a healthy mother will naturally promote the health of the baby and that medications can promote this in many cases. “Every year, many women followed in our establishment and elsewhere must take medication during their pregnancy,” declared Isabelle Demers, general director of CHU Sainte-Justine. Thanks to this project, we will be able to better support them. The PREGNANCY HUB in Health now offers mothers and healthcare teams reliable and accessible resources so they can make the best decisions. “By acting upstream, the HUB makes it possible to better manage risks during pregnancy,” continues Ms. Demers. This proactive approach prevents complications and even provides safer care better adapted to the specific needs of pregnant women. He will make all the difference.”
The information platform is part of the Canadian Mother-Child Initiative on Drug Safety in Pregnancy – Outreach program (CAMCCO-Outreach) project. It is funded to the tune of $840,000 by the Pan-Canadian Coalition for Women’s Health of the Institute of Gender and Health of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
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