Current Studies at Motherisk: Folic Acid Before and During Pregnancy

The Motherisk Program, located at The Hospital for Sick Children, invites women between the ages of 18 and 45 to participate in a study on folic acid during pregnancy.

We are looking for healthy women who are either planning a pregnancy or who are less than 6 weeks pregnant, but are not currently taking folic acid or multivitamins. In addition, women must not have had a previous pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect or a family history of neural tube defects.

Motherisk will provide multivitamins containing folic acid to all participants upon study inclusion and until 30 weeks of gestation. These multivitamins are to be taken daily. They are approved by Health Canada and can be safely obtained from healthcare professionals and healthcare services.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children will draw blood samples at 4 times during the study to measure folate levels. Folate measurements will take place at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Ontario); therefore, study participation may be most convenient for women residing in the GTA.

Participants will be paid $250 (maximum) upon completion of the study. Payments may be adjusted depending on the degree of participation.

If you would like to participate or if you would like more information, please contact the study co-ordinator, Carolyn Tam, at (416) 813-7283 or by e-mail at carolyn.tam@utoronto.ca.