Nine out of ten mums call for more innovation in pregnancy care

A new US report has found that as many as nine in ten mums demand more innovation in pregnancy care.

The Future of Pregnancy Health report, conducted by the US health company Mirvie, showed more actionable insights to improve pregnancy health are needed.

The survey of 1022 new or expecting mums highlighted an “urgent” need to identify the women at risk of complications and tailor education and preventive care toward them.

The US is experiencing an era of declining maternal health with large economic costs and lifelong health consequences for expecting parents and babies.

The study found mums overwhelmingly believed knowing their risk of pregnancy complications can enable proactive, personalised and preventive pregnancy care.

Preeclampsia – a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy – impacts up to eight per cent of pregnancies.

However, the survey showed that current attempts to educate pregnant women in the US about preeclampsia are falling short.

While most felt knowledgeable about preeclampsia, the vast majority did not know the common signs and symptoms of the complication, with 44 per cent saying they did not understand their risk of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications before getting pregnant.

Only one in ten mums could correctly identify all the most common preeclampsia warning signs and symptoms.

The majority of the women (67 per cent) said they wished they had known more about their risk of preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications and 37 per cent said they experienced common complications such as preterm birth, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes in one or more of their pregnancies.

“By knowing who is at risk, you can begin to personalize care and target in-depth education to the mums who need it the most,” said Maneesh Jain, co-founder and CEO of Mirvie.

“This report shows there is still a major gap in education despite the best efforts of care providers and the best intentions of expecting mums.”

Currently, mums and their pregnancy care providers have limited access to tools to accurately predict pregnancy complications before symptoms appear.

The study found that women would be willing to find out more about their individual pregnancy risks, with nine out of ten willing to take a predictive test for preeclampsia early in pregnancy, even if it were not 100 per cent accurate.

According to the survey, nine of ten women believed knowing their risk of preeclampsia would make them more motivated to follow their pregnancy care providers’ medication recommendations.

The findings were revealed, as the US reported rising rates of maternal mortality and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Figures suggest unexpected complications affect one in five pregnancies in the US and are a primary driver of maternal and childhood morbidity and mortality.

Between 2018 and 2020, pregnancy-related deaths increased by nearly 37 per cent, with hypertensive disorders as the most common causes.

Alison Cowan head of medical affairs at Mirvie, said: “It’s no surprise women expect a lot more innovation and personalisation in their pregnancy care.

“With the Mirvie RNA platform, we can soon bring life-changing advancements to pregnancy health. From targeted education, visit schedules, monitoring, medications, lifestyle changes and appropriate follow-up testing, pregnancy care will be transformed from one-size-fits-none to right-sized care for every mum.

“This new approach to pregnancy health is desperately needed to chart a new course for mums in the United States.”