In the UK, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, which can be a source of significant stress and uncertainty for individuals and couples; navigating unplanned pregnancies can be a complex and emotionally demanding experience. Our research and work to date indicates a clear and unaddressed need amongst individuals of reproductive age for support in developing and achieving their reproductive

Being prepared for pregnancy has been linked to better outcomes for both mothers and their babies (1,2). This preparation can involve optimising existing medical conditions, modifying behaviour like smoking, and taking vitamins such as folic acid. Currently, 90% of women of reproductive age in the UK have at least one risk factor that could be targeted before pregnancy (3). Despite

On Saturday the 16th of September Dr Hall attended a public engagement in research event for the local Bangladeshi community in North London. Dr Hall spoke to attendees about whether they would like any (more) children and depending on what they said provided information on the range of contraception available, or how to plan and prepare for pregnancy. Visitors were

As part of the dissemination of the P3 Study findings, we created a short, animated video titled “What’s your plan?”. We developed this video to raise awareness amongst the general public of the benefits of pregnancy planning; whether that is to avoid unwanted pregnancies, or to plan and prepare for pregnancies that are desired. Our PPI group informed the decision

The UK government has officially launched the Women’s Reproductive Health Survey. This survey aims to gather women’s views across England on issues such as periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause. This survey is being run by the Department of Health and Social Care and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It forms part of the Women’s Health

The NIHR Policy Research Units (PRUs) bring together multidisciplinary teams of researchers to enable the development of research-based policy at a local and national level. The PRU researchers respond to policy research needs and develop research programmes that provide evidence for current and emerging research priorities. Ensuring that the government and policy bodies have the best possible information and evidence

Dr Hall was invited to be a guest on “It All Starts Here”, the UCL Institute for Women’s Health Podcast, hosted by Olivia Moir. The podcast aims to increase awareness and knowledge of reproductive science and women’s health, by discussing critical topics with experts in an easy-to-understand way. Previous episodes have discussed the placenta, egg freezing and fertility education. In

June was a month of conferences, with work from the P3 study being presented at three different international events. We presented two posters at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists World Congress in London, on the implementation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) into antenatal care. One poster focused on the findings from the interviews and focus

What's your plan?

A new study conducted at UCL has found that one in five women become pregnant naturally after having a baby conceived with IVF. The first-of-its-kind research analysed data from 11 studies of over 5,000 women around the world (including over 1000 women from the UK) between 1980 and 2021. The study aimed to look at how common it is for