Over 2.5 million pregnancies end in miscarriage every year, and millions of other couples cannot have children due to infertility. Over 400,000 babies are born too early, and more than 40,000 infants die because of prematurity every year. Very low birth weight infants have 25 times the incidence of cerebral palsy, and higher rates of deafness, blindness, attention deficit disorders, and learning disabilities. Over 150,000 babies are born with a major birth defect and 250,000 are born with a genetic disease. Medical costs for children surviving birth defects and genetic diseases typically run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for each child.
More disabilities arise in the first half of pregnancy than at any other time in life.
Millions of women suffer from gynecologic disease such as endometriosis, premenstrual syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and uterine fibroids, often requiring major surgical and medical treatments. Breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer are common and often fatal. Research has told us all these conditions have genetic links, and we are compelled to find out more in a search for a cure. These are weighty statistics, yet they can never adequately reflect the deep personal challenges and tragedies experienced by the individuals behind these numbers. In the midst of the information and technology age, it is remarkable that so little is known about these diseases.