Massachusetts center for birth defects and stillbirth prevention
Official title: Massachusetts Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention: Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD STEPS Core and Stillbirth)
Funded at Massachusetts State Dept of Pub Health · NIH-11137552 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at pregnancy exposures to find things people can avoid to lower the risk of structural birth defects and stillbirth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts State Dept of Pub Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $855,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DD001300-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11137552 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who are pregnant or were recently pregnant — especially those whose pregnancy was affected by a structural birth defect or stillbirth — are most likely to be eligible for related data collection or follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
People not currently pregnant or those seeking immediate medical treatment for an existing birth defect in a child are unlikely to get direct benefit from this observational research.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers will use existing national birth-defect data plus new information collected by BD-STEPS to study what during pregnancy might raise the chance of a birth defect or stillbirth. They link interview data, health records, and other data sources and apply pharmacoepidemiology methods to compare pregnancies with and without birth defects. The team will complete at least seven focused projects over the grant period, including work on medications and bariatric surgery. They also partner with local universities to train new researchers who can help translate findings into clearer guidance for pregnant people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give clearer, evidence-based guidance to pregnant people and their clinicians about which medications, procedures, or other exposures are safer during pregnancy.
How similar studies have gone: Large prior efforts such as the National Birth Defects Prevention Study have successfully identified links between some pregnancy exposures and birth defect risks, so this work builds on established approaches.
Where this research is happening
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Massachusetts State Dept of Pub Health
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yazdy, Mahsa M — Massachusetts State Dept of Pub Health
- Study coordinator: Yazdy, Mahsa M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Birth Defects Prevention: How Pregnancy Exposures Shape Birth Outcomes (BD STEPS) for Massachusetts families
A Massachusetts team is studying how pregnancy exposures may influence birth defects to help families reduce risk in future pregnancies.
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Birth Defects Study to Understand Causes of Structural Birth Defects
A nationwide effort to find how genes and environment combine to cause structural birth defects, with the Arkansas Birth Defects study centers coordinating a pregnancy exposure look-back.
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Arkansas birth defects and stillbirth center
Collecting information from pregnant people and families to find pregnancy-related causes of birth defects and stillbirths so future families can be helped.
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Investigating pregnancy exposures that may cause birth defects
This study is looking at ways to help pregnant women reduce the risk of birth defects by understanding how different things during pregnancy can affect their baby's health, and it will also help train new researchers in this important area.
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Investigating the causes of birth defects and their long-term effects on health.
This study is looking at what causes birth defects in babies, hoping to find ways to prevent them, and it’s for families who have been affected by these issues, as well as for moms and their children to help improve their health.
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How air pollution during pregnancy affects fetal growth over time
This study looks at how air pollution affects the growth of babies in the womb during pregnancy, using ultrasound images to track changes over time, and it aims to help expectant parents understand when their babies might be most at risk from pollution.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.