In a STAT opinion piece, experts argue that ClinicalTrials.gov, the federal registry for clinical studies, lacks a basic feature that would help pregnant and lactating patients identify trials they can join. While some trials do include these groups, the site does not allow users to filter for them, making the search process unnecessarily difficult.
The proposed fix is straightforward: add a checkbox or similar field to indicate whether a trial accepts pregnant or lactating participants. The authors say this would give patients and their clinicians a quick way to narrow results, rather than reading through lengthy eligibility criteria.
The piece is an opinion, not a report of new data, but it highlights a persistent gap in trial accessibility. Making participation status visible at the registry level could also encourage researchers to consider these populations when designing studies, the experts suggest.