The Motherisk Program |
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The inception of The Motherisk Program at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 1985 was in response to numerous inquiries by pregnant and planning women and their health professionals regarding the safety of drugs, chemicals, environmental agents and infections during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Since its creation The Motherisk Team has counseled over 50 000 women, their families and health professionals. Follow-up of the outcome of these pregnancies has created the largest prospective database available today worldwide. At present time we counsel over 100 cases daily from all over Canada, as well as the United States. With 200 scientific papers and 7 medical texts published in the area of maternal-fetal toxicology, Motherisk is the leading clinical and research group in this field. We are entering the second decade of Motherisk tackling important research questions such as the risks of binge drinking during pregnancy, child development after maternal cocaine use and the safety of antidepressant medications. In the clinical arena, novel methods to supplement women with folic acid early enough in pregnancy and thus preventing neural tube defects appear to be a top priority. Of similar magnitude is our ongoing battle to prevent unjustified terminations of otherwise wanted pregnancies by women who were misinformed about teratogenic risks after use of nonteratogenic agents. With scores of new medicinal drugs entering the market yearly and with more than half of all pregnancies unplanned, it will be crucial to continue and augment the clinical work and the research efforts of Motherisk. These will ensure optimal drug therapy for pregnant women while protecting their unborn babies. For more information on our latest study, please don't hesitate to go on our web page : http://www.motherisk.org or contact the communication agents for the Motherisk Program Patricia
Vandal or Martin Côté by E-mail: momrisk@total.net or by phone
1-800-977-6362 |