Written question asked by David Amess (Conservative) on Tuesday, 31 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 November 2006. It was answered by Andy Burnham (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 November 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Pregnancy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on stress in pregnancy; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the Department of Trade and Industry. Recent MRC funded research relating to stress in pregnancy includes:"Dr. Veronica O’Keane, Institute of Psychiatry—Comparison of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in depressed and healthy pregnant women."The MRC has also funded a number of relevant cohort studies including:"Professor G. Davey-Smith, University of Bristol—Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC): A reference population for genetic and environmental epidemiology;""The Southampton Women’s Survey maintained by the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre; and,""The Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development based at University College London."

Secondary information