Within this program area, the goal of the Branch is to advance research into selected reproductive and gynecologic health issues by:
· Sponsoring research efforts on reproductive health issues that have been either overlooked or under funded
· Focusing research efforts on gynecologic and reproductive health issues that are considered important to women’s health, and on issues of minorities and aging as these relate to reproductive health within the purview of the CRH Branch

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences noted a need for additional NIH research attention to obstetrics/gynecology research as early as 1992 in its report, Strengthening Research in Academic OB/GYN Departments.  Further recommendations from congress, professional societies, and women affected by reproductive/gynecological disorders over the last decade have also led the NICHD to increase its research in this area.

Although the Institute has been among the major funding sources for research in obstetrics and gynecology, the CRH Branch recognizes that research on some gynecologic topics is still underfunded.  For example, as many as 10 percent of women in the United States will undergo a major surgical procedure to correct urinary incontinence or pelvic prolapse.  The NICHD has expanded its funding for research on female pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, and other sensory and emptying abnormalities of the lower urinary and gastrointestinal tract.  As the population in the United States ages, the need for treatments for these disorders will also increase.  The fiscal year 2003 Senate Appropriations Committee encouraged the NICHD’s efforts in developing a program in urogynecology, specifically its funding of tissue structure, epidemiology, urinary incontinence, and intervention programs.  The Committee also encouraged the NICHD to include the effects of pregnancy on a women’s chance for later urogynecologic problems in the National Children’s Study , a longitudinal cohort study that began in 2005 and will follow mothers and their children from before birth to age 21.

In addition, the NICHD has increased its support for research into the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of reproductive disorders.  For instance, the Branch has supported research on the mechanisms and treatments of abnormal uterine bleeding and the effects of peri- and postmenopausal hormone therapy.  These topics are among the most common reasons women seek gynecologic care, and the CRH Branch has extended its research program to encompass and address these aspects of reproductive health