Research projects
We are proud to work with some of the UK’s top doctors, midwives, nurses and scientists to make the greatest difference to the lives of women and their families.
Spanning across three key areas – fertility, pregnancy and birth complications, gynaecological cancers and wellbeing issues – here is some of the work we are currently investing in.
How can maternity services empower pregnant women affected by trauma?
Wellbeing of Women (WoW), in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has awarded £254,034 for a NIHR-WoW Doctoral Fellowship to midwife Joanne Cull. She will investigate what information and support can be given to help pregnant women who have been negatively affected by trauma
Read more
How can we identify health risks in babies too small or too large during pregnancy?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £129,549 in Dr Matina Iliodromiti's research on establishing clear thresholds for too small and large babies to improve care and outcomes
Read more
Can melatonin protect the newborn brain after infection and lack of oxygen?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £255,325 into Professor Nikki Robertson’s research on whether a naturally occurring hormone can protect a baby’s brain that is at risk for life-long injury
Read more
What are the early pregnancy risk factors for stillbirth?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £10,560 into Dr John Allotey’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowship on evaluating early pregnancy risk factors to reduce the rate of stillbirth
Read more
Can ovarian cancer’s resistance to chemotherapy be prevented?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £134,193 into Dr Sarah McClelland’s research into preventing chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer
Read more
Can experts protect premature babies from life-altering brain damage?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £197,931 in Dr Ashley Boyle’s research into how bacteria can cause brain damage in premature babies
Read more
How should midwives and doctors care for pregnant women hospitalised with COVID-19?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £6,211 in Professor Marian Knight’s research into what treatment is best for pregnant women who go to hospital with severe COVID-19
Read more
Should women be given an ultrasound during fertility treatment?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £4,800 into Dr Heather Garthwaite’s research into whether an invasive test is the best way of determining whether a woman going through fertility treatment is at risk of having a multiple pregnancy
Read more
Do the smoking ban and minimum alcohol pricing protect pregnant women?
In partnership with the Chief Scientist Office of The Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, Wellbeing of Women has invested £198,292 in Dr Rachel Kearns’ research into whether government policies actually help women at risk of taking harmful substances in pregnancy
Read more
Why are some women's wombs more 'receptive' than others?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £192,724 into Dr Jane Cleal’s research into understanding why some women struggle to become pregnant or experience miscarriage
Read more
Harris-Wellbeing: The research centres saving lives
Since 1983, the generous establishment of six UK research centres has transformed how experts treat recurrent miscarriage, cancer and pregnancy complications
Read more
Can experts spot women at risk of womb cancer before it’s too late?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £29,500 into Dr Sarah Kitson’s project to create a new tool which will help healthcare professionals spot and treat women at risk of developing the life-changing disease
Read more
How can older women receive better ovarian cancer care?
Wellbeing of Women has awarded Dr Susana Banerjee £176,277 to understand how healthcare professionals could deliver better ovarian cancer care in older women
Read more
Could this be the first non-hormonal, non-surgical treatment for endometriosis?
Wellbeing of Women invested £198,864 into Professor Andrew Horne’s project to test whether an anti-cancer drug could be used to treat endometriosis
Read more
Is this the gene mutation behind a difficult-to-treat cancer?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £19,477 in Dr Narthana Ilenkovan’s research into what makes up the foundations of a lethal cancer
Read more
How can healthcare professionals better support women during pregnancy?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £11,742 in Dr James Harris’ research into analysing and improving how healthcare professionals address pregnant women’s safety concerns
Read more
Can ovarian tissue transplants prevent early menopause?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £8,480 in Dr Hajra Khattak’s project to explore an alternative to HRT after having surgery on the ovaries
Read more
How can workplaces become menopause friendly?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £161,751 in Dr Claire Hardy’s project to improve attitudes and awareness of menopause at work
Read more
What tools could help workplaces become menopause friendly?
Wellbeing of Women invested £170,239 in research to help workplaces support women going through menopause
Read more
Why does ovarian cancer become resistant to chemotherapy?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £20,000 into Dr Rachel Pounds’ project investigating a disease that takes thousands of lives a year
Read more
What causes heavy, irregular periods, and how can we treat them?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £249,991 in Dr Varsha Jain's investigation into abnormal uterine bleeding
Read more
What's the connection between this genetic condition and premature ovarian insufficiency?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £26,257 in Dr Roseanne Rosario’s project which looks to better understand Fragile X-associated premature ovarian insufficiency.
Read more
How can we help mothers-to-be access the care they need?
Wellbeing of Women researcher Dr Shuby Puthussery has been awarded £98,896 to make sure black, Asian and minority ethnic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers and their babies aren't left behind
Read more
How do midwives and women use social media?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £19,984 in Miss Anna Marsh’s project which will look into how women and midwives use social media to communicate and access information
Read more
Is this a better way to test for ectopic pregnancy?
Wellbeing of Women has awarded Professor Dharani K. Hapangama £197,039 to develop a new non-invasive, quick test for this life-threatening condition
Read more
Is there a link between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £72,448 in Professor Krina Zondervan’s search for a connection between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases
Read more
Can bioengineering prevent infertility after miscarriage?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £199,267 in Professor Molly Stevens and Richard Smith’s project to treat a condition that causes infertility and pregnancy loss
Read more
Can our cells be 're-educated' to fight ovarian cancer?
Wellbeing of Women has invested £239,325 in Dr Samar Elorbany’s project to explore new ways of treating a chemotherapy-resistant strain of ovarian cancer
Read more
How can midwives communicate more effectively with women?
Wellbeing of Women has awarded Research Midwife Jayne Wagstaff £20,000 to boost training for midwives
Read more
How can midwives better prepare women for induced labour?
Research midwife Sam Nightingale has been awarded £17,687 to help improve women’s experience of induced labour
Read more
What causes tragic pregnancy loss, and how can it be prevented?
Dr Emily Cornish has been awarded £18,847 to investigate new treatments for a little known, but tragic, pregnancy complication
Read more
What's the best way to help women with this life-threatening pregnancy complication?
Wellbeing of Women and Little Heartbeats have awarded Professor Zarko Alfirevic £23,536 to study a rare but devastating condition
Read more
Is this a better test for ovarian cancer?
Wellbeing of Women has provided £19,470 to Dr Garth Funston to find new early-stage tests for ovarian cancer
Read more