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Asked by anon-220677 to Kate on 18 Jun 2019.
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Kate Timms answered on 18 Jun 2019:
Hi! I ask women for their consent to use their placentas after they have had a c-section. If they say yes, then I can go into theatre with them and wait in the back whilst the doctors do the operation. Then I take away the placenta and do my experiments on that. It’s really hard to do experiments on people, especially pregnant women, so you have to do it all in tissue (like the placentas) and then animals, then healthy volunteers before you can test in pregnant women. Basically, we have to know it’s safe first before we do anything else.
For the study I’m doing currently, I am collecting tissue from women with normal pregnancies and also women who get diabetes during their pregnancy. I pick from the women who are down on the list to have elective c-sections (that means that it’s not an emergency) that day. I look briefly at why they are having a c-section and see if they are suitable for my research. Then it all depends on if they agree (consent) to me using their placenta, which usually they do because otherwise it’s just thrown away!
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Comments
Rebecca commented on :
I also do lots of research involving pregnant women. We have several big (1000s of women) studies in southampton which have involved women during their pregnancy and following up their children. Participants always need to give their consent to participate in research and we have to tell them exactly when the study involves and any risks of taking part. They can decide to leave the study at any time. Most of our studies have recruited women in early pregnancy. In the UK, when a women is pregnant, the midwife they see at 6-8 weeks of pregnancy will refer them for a scan at around 10-14 weeks. We send information to them in the post before this appointment and then see them at that appointment to ask if theyd like to participate. We are always super grateful to people that give up their time to take part as medical knowledge couldnt advance without their help.