MRIs and Pregnancy Status Guidance

The purpose of this document is to present guidelines for the method of determining pregnancy status as part of eligibility screening for studies in which (a) MRIs are performed for research rather than clinical purposes and (b) the study does not propose to enroll pregnant women.  In parallel with clinical practice, pregnancy testing would not be required for these studies.  Instead, research teams should incorporate questions about pregnancy status in their screening procedures. 

Suggested screening questions for research teams

If the potential subject answers “yes” to either of the suggested screening questions below, the research team should not enroll that person in the study.

• Question 1: Are you currently pregnant?
• Question 2: Are you planning on becoming pregnant [insert the timeframe for the study duration, such as “Are you planning on becoming pregnant in the next month”]?

Please see suggested language to include in consent documents in the Additional Model Language document, under Reproductive Risks.

See Also:

• Informed Consent
• Subject Recruitment and Screening Procedures Guidance Index