MAMA Study: pregnant women with inflammatory arthritis being treated with a biologic08 January 2026 The Monoclonal Antibody Medications in inflammatory Arthritis: stopping or continuing in pregnancy (MAMA) study. This research is for pregnant women with inflammatory arthritis who are being treated with a biologic. The MAMA Study is looking to provide an answer on which is the better approach. NRAS is delighted that a study to address this question is being conducted and will hopefully give prospective parents some much needed reassurance. We are aware that pregnancy and parenthood can bring a lot of stresses and challenges to everybody, and this will be even more challenging for women living with complex diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). One of the more common enquiries we receive about pregnancy is whether it is better to stop or continue biologic/biosimilar treatments during the time trying to conceive and during pregnancy. The information below will give you an understanding of what is involved in the MAMA study and by taking part you will be helping parents of the future. If you have an interest in this area and meet the study criteria, reach out to the MAMA Co-ordinating Centre to register your interest. Who can take part? To take part in the MAMA study, you will be pregnant, or planning a pregnancy, and have inflammatory arthritis which is being treated with one of the biologics being studied. MAMA Study Introduction Video Video available in Bengali, Punjabi, Polish, Romanian and Urdu Click to close video modal Close If you would like more information or are interested in taking part in the MAMA Study, please get in touch with the team at the MAMA Co-ordinating Centre. Email: mama@npeu.ox.ac.uk Phone: 01865 743859 The MAMA Team MAMA Website Bengali, Punjabi, Polish, Romanian and Urdu videos What is involved in the MAMA Study? If you agree to take part you will be randomly allocated by a computer system to either continuing to take your biologic throughout your pregnancy, or to stop by 28 weeks of pregnancy. This will be decided by chance so you will have an equal chance of being in either group. Other than stopping or continuing your current biologic by 28 weeks gestation no other changes will be made to your arthritis treatment as a result of being in the study. There will be information collected about participants and their babies. The information used will be the minimum personally identifiable information possible. For women who continue their biologics throughout pregnancy, your baby may have one or two of their vaccinations delayed. This will be discussed with your clinical care team. Both continuing and stopping using biologics beyond 28 weeks of pregnancy are routine practice in the UK. Stopping your biologic medications can increase the risk of disease activity and flares during pregnancy. If your arthritis gets worse, or you experience a flare, you may decide to restart your biologic after discussion with your clinical team. What is the commitment? Your commitment will be that during pregnancy you will complete a simple questionnaire when you join the study and then every month to report your arthritis symptoms via an app on your phone (or on paper if you prefer). At 3, 6, and 12 months after the end of your pregnancy, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire about you and your baby’s health. Then at 24 months you will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will include some standard questions about your child’s development that are often used to routinely follow-up children at this age. Learn more by reading the participant information leaflet: Information Leaflet Who is involved in the study? The study is sponsored by the University of Oxford and is being run by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the King’s College London. The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which is the research arm of the NHS. This study is being run in 35 hospitals in the UK. All research in the NHS is looked at by an independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect participants’ interests. This study has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by London – Central Research Ethics Committee. The MAMA Study has been co-developed with several groups of women who contribute to the trial as lived experience advisors on our MAMA Patient and Public Advisory Group (PAG) and as Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Co-applicants. This has included input to the design and ongoing running of the trial including: co-application to NIHR, input to trial methodology, documents and materials, and participation at investigator meetings. These groups remain involved in the trial, and will continue to do so until the MAMA trial ends. Frequently Asked Questions Get involved If you are pregnant, or planning a pregnancy and would like more information or are interested in taking part in the MAMA Study, please get in touch with the team at the MAMA Co-ordinating Centre. Contact team by emailing mama@npeu.ox.ac.uk or phoning 01865 743859 and they will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.