Miscarriage | Stillbirth | Premature | Pre-eclampsia | Toxoplasmosis

Sadly, not every pregnancy goes to plan. We know that each year in the UK one in four pregnancies will end in miscarriage and one in 200 babies will be stillborn. Each day more than 100 babies are born too small or too soon. Tommy's, the baby charity, believes that, through our research, we can discover how to prevent the loss of tiny lives. We want to find the answers for parents who deserve to know why their baby died or had to fight for life after being born prematurely.

We want to know why problems in pregnancy occur, if some people are more at risk than others and how we can prevent these problems occurring. We also want to find out how to protect premature babies from health problems and increase their chance of survival.

The work that Tommy's is funding is starting to show real signs of progress in several important fields of research.

• We already know that miscarriage and stillbirth can be caused by a damaged or weakened placenta - failure of the placenta to function normally can result in an insufficient flow of blood to the baby. It is hoped that our research will enable us to develop a simple test to identify expectant mothers who are most at risk of placental malfunction and help them receive preventative treatment.
• We know that premature babies are often prone to infection, which can result in damage to vital organs such as the kidneys and liver. Tommy's is conducting research to find out why premature babies are so vulnerable to infection and how it can be prevented.
• We've also found that vitamin supplements may be effective in preventing the occurrence of pre-eclampsia. Our medical trial saw a 76% reduction in the occurrence of the disease amongst women taking the vitamin supplements compared to those taking the placebo.

However, Tommy's still doesn't have all the answers. The information that we do know about the problems of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, pre-eclampsia and toxoplasmosis, is available on this site. If you would like to order a leaflet, please use our literature request form.

Tommy's telephone pregnancy information service aims to help pregnant women and their families, couples considering pregnancy, parents and health professionals. By dialling 0870 777 30 60 you can receive information about pregnancy health issues, and also order any of Tommy's information leaflets, either individually or in bulk