What Research Does Tommy's Fund into Pregnancy and Baby Loss?

Updated

Tommy's funds research into three areas: miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. It does this through national research centres and specialist clinics, and the charity describes its purpose as "preventing a lifetime of loss." If you want to understand what the charity actually does with its funding, the research pages on tommys.org set out the centres, the project areas and the claimed impact.

The three research areas

Tommy's organises its research work around the three main causes of pregnancy and baby loss it names on its site:

  • Miscarriage — research projects and a dedicated national centre.
  • Stillbirth and pregnancy complications — a specialist clinic and research programme.
  • Premature birth — a national centre and related projects.

These are the categories the charity uses to structure both its research and its specialist clinics, so they are the clearest way to navigate the site if you are looking for a specific topic.

National research centres and specialist clinics

Tommy's describes two kinds of research infrastructure: research centres and specialist clinics.

Research centres named on the site:

  • National Centre for Miscarriage Research
  • Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre
  • National Centre for Preterm Birth Research
  • National Centre for Maternity Improvement

Specialist clinics are listed under three headings:

  • Miscarriage
  • Stillbirth and pregnancy complications
  • Premature birth

The centres are where the research programmes sit; the clinics are where that work connects to care for women and families. Each has its own page on tommys.org, which is the place to check for current detail rather than relying on a summary.

How Tommy's funds research

The site has a dedicated "How we fund research" page and an "Impact of our centres and clinics" page, which together answer the funding and results questions. The charity is described as the largest UK pregnancy and baby loss charity, and its funding model is donation-based: the site includes a "Donate to Tommy's" section and a "Pay in your fundraising" page for people who raise money themselves. Payment options listed on the site include Stripe and PayPal.

If your question is specifically about where money goes, the "How we fund research" page is the direct source; the donation pages are about giving, not about the research portfolio.

Getting involved with the research itself

Beyond donating, Tommy's has a "Get involved with our research" page. This is the route for people who want to take part in studies rather than fund them. The site also publishes research news, so you can follow what the centres are working on.

What to check before relying on any figure

The site's own pages are the authoritative source for current research projects, centre details and any impact claims. Specific statistics, study results and eligibility for research participation change over time, so check the relevant page on tommys.org rather than a third-party summary. If you are looking for support rather than research, the baby loss support section and the midwife-led pregnancy information section are separate parts of the site.