Experts urge ClinicalTrials.gov to add pregnancy and lactation checkbox to aid trial enrollment

Patients who are pregnant or nursing often struggle to locate clinical trials that accept them, and clinicians face the same obstacle when advising participants.

ClinicalTrials.gov lists more than 600,000 studies and lets users filter by age, sex, diagnosis, and ZIP code, but it currently lacks a clear filter for pregnancy or lactation status.

The authors propose a straightforward solution: a dedicated checkbox for pregnancy and lactation that would appear in the eligibility criteria, making it easier to identify suitable studies.

Adding this feature could improve trial recruitment, enhance data on medication safety in these populations, and help researchers assess trial representativeness.