14 May 2008
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Fund research into the disabling pregnancy related conditions of Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) and the more severe form Dyastasis Symphisis Pubis (DSP)."
Details of Petition:
"SPD (and DSP) affects the pelvis in early pregnancy and is related to hormonal changes. In SPD the pelvic tendons slacken too much and basically cripple the sufferer, meaning they depend on mobility aids to get around. Usually, SPD corrects itself after birth, as hormones return to normal. However, if it doesn’t it’s known as the more severe form: DSP. The sufferer then has a permanent instability in their pelvis, leading to chronic pain and limited mobility, resulting in a dependence on mobility aids. Aside from the physical issues, the condition has a physcological effect on the sufferer, leading to depression and a reliance on strong pain killers. This affects the whole family, often resulting in one partner leaving work to care for their family, which compounds the physcological issues of the sufferer. This is a massive drain on NHS resources, and there is no clear path of treatment and no known investigation into identifying the causes, preventing, or resolving the condition."
Read the Government’s response
Although the Government accepts that SPD and DSP are painful conditions of pregnancy, they are not life threatening. Therefore, the Department of Health has not funded or commissioned research into these conditions, as urgent, life threatening or life changing issues must take priority in the light of limited funding budgets.
The Department of Health funds research for health policy development, clinical and applied health research in the NHS, and the NHS costs incurred in supporting research funded by other bodies such as the Research Councils and charities. It does not allocate funds for research into individual conditions. The Department’s research budget for 2008/09 is £825million.
Implementation of the Government’s research strategy Best Research for Best Health is resulting in an expansion of the Department of Health’s research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. These National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS. Details, including the scope of the programmes and the arrangements for making applications for support from them, are available on the NIHR website at www.nihr.ac.uk. Funding awards are in all cases made after open, competitive, peer review.
In addition, it should be noted that the Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The MRC is not currently funding any research specifically relating to SPD and DSP. However, the Government does fund a broad portfolio of research relevant to pregnancy and maternal health which may benefit the conditions in the future. It should be noted that the MRC is seeking to expand its portfolio of musculoskeletal research (including research on connective tissue). The MRC would welcome innovative proposals aimed at identifying factors involved in the maintenance of musculoskeletal health, especially where such research could underpin the development of new diagnostic approaches. This may lead to new applications for research on conditions such as SPD and DSP.
The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.