Women’s health research has been a priority at Aberdeen for many years, building on the legacy of one of the University’s pioneers, Sir Dugald Baird, who was appointed Regius Professor of Midwifery in 1937. Sir Dugald was instrumental in transforming clinical practice, service provision and health policy including reproductive health, perinatal and maternal mortality, social obstetrics, and cervical screening.
Now researchers at the Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research are ensuring they remain at the forefront of efforts to improve outcomes and experiences of women at all stages of their lives. This ‘life course’ approach allows clinicians to address events at different stages of life that can become serious medical conditions if not pre-empted or treated early.
The team’s research strategy is structured around 5 main impact streams:
- Pre-cancerous conditions including breast and cervical cancer
- Pelvic floor disorders including incontinence and prolapse
- Menstrual disorders including endometriosis and menopause
- Fertility and infertility including optimising preconception health & treatment strategies for fertility
- Pregnancy and childbirth including pregnancy loss and childbirth complications
The team are incredibly grateful for your support and would like to tell you a bit more about the importance of their research and the importance of your support:
Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya, Head of School & Dugald Baird Chair in Women’s Health
Professor Bhattacharya is Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition at the University. He is the inaugural Dugald Baird Chair in Women’s Health, and oversees a variety of key research projects within the ACWHR and beyond. His main research interests include epidemiology of infertility and reproductive loss, evaluation of clinical and cost-effectiveness of interventions and delivery of care in reproductive medicine.
Recent studies that he has overseen include using data from the Aberdeen Maternity Neonatal Databank (AMND) to analyse the intergenerational trends in infertility and pregnancy loss, exploring whether certain conditions or risks are passed down from mothers to daughters. He has also been involved in a study looking at whether existing prediction models (developed using data from 1999 to 2009) could accurately predict the chances of a woman having a baby through in vitro fertilization (IVF) over several treatment cycles. The results mean that couples are better informed about their individualized chances of success over multiple IVF cycles.
Professor Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, Clinical Chair in Gynaecology
Professor Abdel-Fattah is an Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist and Specialist Urogynaecologist for the NHS. He is also the Director of the Aberdeen Centre for Women’s Health Research. Professor Abdel-Fattah’s research focuses on pelvic floor disorders including urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. He leads a multi-disciplinary team of researchers to carry out a world leading research programme in pelvic floor disorders with the aim of evaluating the best and least invasive investigations and treatments for pelvic floor disorders in women.
Pelvic floor research is especially important as we live longer lives. It is well known that pelvic floor weakness leading to urinary incontinence and/or vaginal prolapse have a major negative impact on a woman’s quality of life leading to low productivity, low self-esteem, embarrassment, and in severe cases, social isolation. The good news is, although it’s still seen as a social stigma, we are starting to see more women in younger age groups requesting treatments for pelvic floor disorders, thanks to awareness-raising campaigns in the press.
Dr Mairead Black, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics
Dr Black is an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital with leadership roles in labour ward and obstetric risk management
Dr Black’s research and practice aim to improve women's experiences and outcomes of birth, ensuring informed and supported decision-making in the delivery of safe maternity care. Her role provides leadership in the delivery of maternity care, pushing supported decision-making and evidence-based practice up the research and clinical agenda. She leads a UK-wide project to develop a decision aid for women choosing between planning a vaginal or caesarean birth in the NHS, ensuring diverse representation from the public in the research team.
Dr Lucky Saraswat, Honorary Senior Lecturer
Dr Saraswat is a Consultant Gynaecologist and surgeon who leads a team providing care services for endometriosis patients in North and North-East of Scotland. Her research interests include endometriosis and menstrual problems with a focus on epidemiological studies, working with big data, clinical trials, and health services research.
She is leading several research studies aimed at optimising the treatment of endometriosis, reducing diagnostic delay and exploring experiences and needs of women with endometriosis. She is also working with the Scottish Government and Endometriosis UK to minimise variations in the care of those with endometriosis across Scotland and on implementation of the Women's Health Plan.
Dr Andrea Woolner, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Dr Woolner is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the ACWHR. She is also an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and the Early Pregnancy Lead for NHS Grampian, based in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
Dr Woolner's research focuses on preterm birth and pregnancy loss including recurrent miscarriage, late miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and stillbirth. Her research looks to understand why pregnancy loss occurs and how this affects subsequent pregnancies so that we can develop ways to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss in future, and find more effective treatments. Dr Woolner is also interested in how preconception health affects pregnancy outcomes and the risk of pregnancy loss.