Research summary
Pregnancy and childbirth have undergone major changes in recent decades. New technologies (such as in vitro fertilization and prenatal genetic testing) and changing demographics (such as rising rates of obesity during pregnancy and childbearing) have had major impacts on prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes in Canada. Dr. Jennifer Hutcheon, Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Population Health, is harnessing Canada’s large clinical and population health databases to create new tools and identify best practices for the care of pregnant people and their newborns.
Using big data, she and her research team are developing a new World Health Organization chart to monitor weight gain during pregnancy and establish recommendations. They are also informing provincial and national policies on the use of Cesarean delivery “on request” (that is, without clinical indication). By engaging patients, care providers and policy-makers, their work will support healthy pregnancies and babies in Canada and globally.