Who can participate?

All women 18 years and older who have experienced pregnancy and birth can participate.     Although this is a study about mothers who have experienced stillbirth, we also need the experience of mothers who have delivered a live born child.   Every participant will provide invaluable information to the MOMS study.

Does it matter how long ago the loss or the birth of my child occurred?

No.   We are compiling information from all who have experienced childbirth

Will my information be anonymous?

Yes.   Researchers can not identify specific participants or link information directly to a participant.   Your information will not be used for any purpose other than this study, unless you request to be included on a research mailing list.   As is the case with any information submitted electronically, the potential exists for information to be intercepted and viewed by others.

Can I start the study and finish it later?

Yes, It is possible to leave the questionnaire and log in at a later time.   It is important that you save your username and password.

When all questions are answered, you must submit the answers when asked to do so. After doing this, it is not possible to log on to the questionnaire at a later time.

How and when can I find out the results of   the MOMS Study?

Survey results will be posted at www.momstudy.com .   We expect the survey to run for approximately 6-9 months.

What is a personal control, and why are they needed?

If you have experienced stillbirth, we ask you to consider whether you can help the MOMS-study by recruiting a personal control for yourself. This would be a friend, colleague or family member who gave birth to a live born baby approximately in the same time as you experienced your stillbirth (give or take a couple of years).

Why is this important?   One of the goals of the MOMS-study is to identify why some pregnancies end in stillbirth while most result in live births. To explore this we need pregnancies with a live born baby for comparison (these are controls).

However, people are different in so many ways, in culture, education, economy etc., and we have to take that into account when comparing. As most people have more in common with their family and friends than with the general population, there are less differences between such a personal control and yourself, and it makes it easier to find clues to what puts some women at risk.

Your personal control would fill in a similar questionnaire (but shorter), and she would not be asked any questions about you, other than a single question on how you are related or know each other. To be identified as your personal control, she should use the same username as you select(ed) and choose her own password.   Your control will not have access to your responses.

How can I help spread the word about the MOMS study?

Email, call, and write your friends and family.     If you would like to assist with additional recruitment efforts for MOMS, email info@momstudy.com .

Login Information: (log-in instructions are provided in the questionnaire, if you experience difficulties, please refer to the below information).

Select your category:

•  You are reporting a stillbirth

When logging in to report a stillbirth you must create your own username and password. Make sure to select a username that will not identify you. You must also create a password.   You will be asked to confirm this password by typing it a second time.    Write the username down in the event that it will be passed on to your control (see above FAQ).

•  You are reporting as a control (see above FAQ)

As a control you have received a username from a friend, family member or colleague who has experienced a stillbirth. Register with the user name provided to you.   Create a password and confirm it by typing it a second time.

•  You are reporting a live birth

If you are reporting a live birth you must create your own username and a password. Create a password and confirm it by typing it a second time.

General rules for login, usernames and passwords. Username and password must contain both letters and digits and include at least eight characters.

What problems may occur?

Duplicate user names - If a user name has already been selected, log-in will not be accepted.   Please create another name.

Password - The first time you register, you will be asked to type in a password and then confirm your password by typing it again.

User Name Failure - If you have been given a user name that is not working reconfirm the exact spelling of the user name.

Failure to select a category - One category from the three (stillbirth, control, live birth) must be selected or log-in will not be accepeted.