Frequently Asked Questions
What does broad spectrum toxicology testing mean?
Broad spectrum testing is more comprehensive than the typical drug testing that is done on a routine basis at hospitals or other medical facilities. Broad spectrum urine toxicology screens are usually performed using mass spectrometry. This is a laboratory technique that separates components of a sample based on their size and their charge. There are three main parts of a mass spectrometer: an ion source, the analyzer, and the detector. First, the ion source vaporizes the sample into a gas. This occurs in a vacuum with no air. Then the ionized particles accelerate through a chamber and are focussed into a beam (in the analyzer). The beam of ions passes through a magnetic field, which causes the different charges and/or sizes of particles to deflect to differing degrees. Finally, in the detector, the number of ions and their differences in deflection are measured and compared to known patterns for specific chemicals.
For example, here is the pattern created by cocaine:
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST Chemistry WebBook SRD 69. Cocaine (nist.gov)
Who is paying for this study?
This study is being supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada's federal funding agency for health research. CIHR invests approximately $1 billion each year to support health research. CIHR approved an application for funding for the IMPACT project
What is trauma-informed research?
We aim to take a trauma-informed approach throughout the research process. From the outset, we have engaged peer researchers in our research process who have lived experiences of drug use during pregnancy. By incorporating their voices and listening to their concerns about how we organize and conduct our study, we hope to make our research protocols (e.g., how we recruit participants, our questionnaires, etc.) and outcomes (e.g., presentations, publications) sensitive, meaningful, and appropriate to the lived realities of pregnant people who use substances.
We are aware that we are asking you to talk about a sensitive topic and that there is a lot of stigma that surrounds people who use various substances, especially during pregnancy. We want our participants to feel safe and supported at all times during their involvement in our study. We know our participants will have had a range of life experiences and we do not wish to add to the violence and trauma in their lives. If you do not feel comfortable with any aspect of the study, you can simply choose not to participate in it, or you can withdraw from the study completely at any time with no consequences to you.
Nothing that you contribute to this study will have any impact on the usual medical care that you receive during and after your pregnancy. Results from the urine drug screening questionnaires will not be provided to you, your doctor, any Children’s Aid Society (CAS) case worker, or other health care provider(s), law enforcement, your or your child(ren)’s educational institution(s), friends, or family. These reports will not be added to your medical records and only delegated research personnel will have access to these results.
We will be able to offer you a small token of appreciation for your participation in this study, a $10 gift card to Shoppers Drug Mart for each study visit you complete. Participants recruited before 28 weeks gestation will receive up to a total of $30 for their three (3) study visits. Participants recruited at 28 weeks gestation or later will receive up to a total of $20 for their two (2) study visits. Of course, your contribution to this study is invaluable in terms of the potential for advances in research knowledge and, hopefully, better outcomes for babies and their parents in the future.
What is peer research?
Peer research is a collaborative partnership between traditional researchers/scientists and individuals from the community who have lived experiences that reflect the question(s) being investigated by the study team. Peer researchers may or may not have educational backgrounds related to the research question. These individuals bring a unique perspective to the study team because they typically share more common experiences with the study participants than the primary investigators and clinical team. Because of their unique perspectives, they are better able to advocate for the study participants and ensure the research being done is meaningful and appropriate. They review all study materials and results before anything is implemented, presented, or published. They help ensure that results are presented sensitively and in a manner that is relevant to the study participants and community at large.
What is a placenta?
The placenta is an organ that develops over a pregnancy and is contained in the uterus. Its appearance is relatively round and flat (like a small pizza, if it were flattened out; a healthy placenta is about 10 inches long and 1 inch thick). It provides oxygen and nutrients to the baby during development. It also removes waste from the baby’s bloodstream. The umbilical cord also connects the baby to the placenta.
Why do you want to study my placenta?
The placenta transfers the substances that your body makes or consumes (or are exposed to) from you to your baby via the sharing of blood. Most of these substances represent important nutrients, hormones, or antibodies needed by your baby for healthy growth and development. However, some substances that are passed to your baby have an unknown role and may or may not be healthy for their development. Some of these substances may also impact the formation of the placenta itself. For our study, we would like to examine the impact of specific substances (e.g., cannabis, nicotine, opioids, opioid agonist therapy) on the development of the placenta.
Who is benefitting from this research?
The study is funded by a research grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada's federal government funding agency for health research. This study is NOT funded or supported in any way by private corporations or business.
The primary benefit of this research is to contribute to the body of research knowledge on how drugs like opioids and cannabis affect fetal development by determining the exact mechanisms that disrupt placental growth (e.g., placental vascularity, micronutrient transport from pregnant person to fetus, metabolic signaling, etc.). Babies whose development is compromised during pregnancy can be at risk for things like preterm delivery, low birth weight, small gestational age, or even stillbirth (1,2). Further, complications during pregnancy and childbirth can have lifelong impacts for the infant, including diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome in adulthood (3) Understanding the exact mechanisms through which the placenta is affected by different substances will help inform future prevention and harm reduction practices. It is our goal that the ultimate beneficiaries of our research will be a) pregnant people, who could have access to more evidence-based strategies for limiting the harm associated with substance use and abuse, and b) babies, who will have improved birth outcomes if healthcare providers and pregnant people understand the specific developmental processes affected by substance use.
(1) Breeze AC, Lees CC. Prediction and perinatal outcomes of fetal growth restriction. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2007;12(5):383-397
(2) Halliday HL. Neonatal management and long-term sequelae. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2009;23(6):871-880.
(3) Crispi F, Miranda J, Gratacós E. Long-term cardiovascular consequences of fetal growth restriction: biology, clinical implications, and opportunities for prevention of adult disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;218(2S):S869-S879.
de Boo HA, Harding JE. The developmental origins of adult disease (Barker) hypothesis. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2006;46(1):4-14.
Are you doing genetic testing on my samples?
There will not be genetic testing on samples in the way that most people mean when they say “genetic testing”. Concerns about this type of testing usually arise because people feel that performing genetic tests mean that their samples will be identifiable as ‘them’ (i.e., such as when you do an ancestral test/family tree testing kit through a service like ). This type of testing is DNA based. The type of testing that we are doing is RNA based. Although this is still considered “genetic material” it is and someone could not examine our data later and connect it to a specific person. We are investigating mRNA, also known as messenger RNA. mRNA is the code used by your cells to create proteins in your body. It does not describe your heredity (like DNA).
