Welcome to the NIH Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (MMM) Web Portal!

Pregnancy is a time of excitement and perhaps some anxiety about what to expect — especially for women pregnant for the first time. The MMM web portal provides trustworthy, science-based information on healthy pregnancy, delivery, and post-pregnancy for scientists, researchers, consumers, and advocates.

Because preconception health, healthy pregnancy and delivery, and health across the life course are integrally linked, we hope to help women find information they can use to stay healthy throughout their lives. For example, the “Information for Women” section offers information on pregnancy-related complications that can occur, the impact of chronic conditions (e.g., hypertension and diabetes), and what actions women can take to promote a healthy pregnancy.

As the primary government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research, NIH invested about $250 million in maternal health in fiscal year 2017. NIH supports a great deal of research on different aspects of maternal health, and those interested in Federal efforts to address this issue can learn about them here.

The MMM web portal is also designed to serve as a resource for staff at the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices and researchers who focus on this important topic. Scientists, clinicians, and others can use the MMM web portal to view information about the scope of relevant research at NIH; specific funding opportunities, programs, and events; and NIH-funded clinical trials related to maternal health.

On behalf of NIH, I welcome everyone who cares about the health of women, including those working to improve the health of mothers everywhere, to the NIH MMM web portal! We hope that it provides useful information and that you visit often.

Janine Austin Clayton, M.D.
Director, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health
Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health, NIH

 

Thank you for visiting the NIH MMM web portal! MMM is a topic that is garnering a great deal of attention — in the news and in everyday conversation. The portal is the place where you can find timely information on this critical topic.

Women who are considering pregnancy, are about to become moms, or have previously delivered a baby can find out more about how this period relates to their health across the life course in the “Information for Women” section.

In the “Ongoing Studies and Publications” section, users can follow links to learn about current research and scholarly publications, reflecting the wealth of knowledge on MMM generated through scientific discovery. The publication links go to PubMed — the free search engine that provides access to references and abstracts on biomedical topics via the National Library of Medicine at NIH.

The “Additional Resources” section links to popular, non-scholarly articles originating from both the Federal Government and other sources.

We understand the importance of sharing information and stories on maternal health, so we included an “Events” section in the MMM web portal. At these meetings, individuals who promote maternal health and women’s health in general can find a listing of Federal events focused on these topics. It’s also important that people see the bigger picture of what NIH is doing to improve maternal health in the context of rigorous research relevant to the health of women.

In the future, the MMM web portal will feature a section called “Maternal Health Across NIH,” which will include more specific information on NIH’s efforts to improve maternal health. The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health will continually update the MMM web portal, so please return for the latest information.

I hope you enjoy the MMM web portal!

Samia Noursi, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Science Policy, Planning, and Analysis,
NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health