LEVERAGING EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH TO MODERNIZE PRENATAL CARE FOR HEALTHIER, TOXIC-FREE BABIES

“Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals during pregnancy and breastfeeding is ubiquitous and is a threat to healthy human reproduction....Preventing exposure to environmental chemicals is a priority for reproductive health professionals everywhere.”

 

These statements by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), an organization of obstetrical and gynecological associations from 125 countries, advocate that reproductive health professionals make environmental health a routine part of care.

 

Few reproductive health care professionals counsel pregnant women about the risks of chemical exposures. They lack the training, tools, and expertise. Further, the current landscape for environmental health counseling is fragmented, disaggregated, and impersonal. There is also an abundance of online environmental information that is fear-based, complex, and, for most pregnant women, difficult to implement. Given this environment, we are missing two opportunities:

 

1) To educate pregnant women, particularly those most vulnerable, with simple health-based messaging–– while they are uniquely positioned to make important lifestyle and behavior changes to promote the health of their pregnancy; and

 

2) To equip you - health care professionals - with evidence-based tools to counsel patients about reducing exposures to environmental chemicals both in the preconception period and prenatally.

 

SafetyNEST will address these critical gaps. Sign up today to explore the SafetyNEST minimum viable product (MVP) prototype for expectant women.