Yale joins NIH research network aimed at improving maternal-fetal health

High-impact research that makes its way into clinical practice is made possible thanks to large-scale multicenter clinical trials. In obstetrics, much of this research is conducted through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network. Yale School of Medicine (YSM), in collaboration with Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), has joined the MFMU Network, which supports clinical research to improve the health of mothers and infants. MFMU was established in 1986 by the  Eunice Kennedy Shriver  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to conduct clinical trials in such areas as reducing rates of preterm birth, fetal growth abnormalities, newborn morbidity, and maternal complications of pregnancy. MFMU trials have resulted in such practice-changing advances as the use of late-term steroids to reduce the risk of respiratory problems in newborns and the finding that induction of labor at 39 weeks leads to similar or better outcomes compared to expectant management.  "Yale New Haven Hospital has become nationally known for high-quality clinical care," says MFMU subsite Principal Investigator (PI) Christian Pettker, MD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at YSM and chief of obstetrics at YNHH, who works with MFMU Site Coordinator Jessica Leventhal. "Joining MFMU puts us at the forefront of obstetrics research that has the potential to lead to better pregnancy outcomes and healthier newborns." Currently the research focus of the MFMU is addressing two of the most important problems in maternal-fetal medicine: preterm birth and obstetric hemorrhage.