ClinicalTrials.gov lacks structured data on pregnant and lactating trial participants
Advocates urge ClinicalTrials.gov to add a checkbox flagging studies that enroll pregnant or lactating people.
Current website limitations for specific groups
The federal registry lists over 600,000 drug trials since late 2007. Users can currently filter results by age, sex, diagnosis, and location. However, the site does not show if pregnant or breastfeeding individuals are eligible to join.
Proposed changes to eligibility criteria
Researchers suggest adding a field to the participation module that flags these specific populations. This update would track how many such people enrolled in each study. The change aims to help clinicians find relevant trials for their patients.
Growing concern over medical evidence
There is increasing worry about a lack of high-quality medical evidence regarding drug safety in pregnancy. Tracking these studies accurately would address concerns about publication bias and trial composition. Clearer data would support better decisions for patients considering clinical trial participation.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.