How every page is researched, sourced, and reviewed.

Who publishes and reviews this library

Pregnancy Smart publishes this library. Meet our editorial board and see each clinician's professional background and available credential sources: Sharyn Harrison, CNM, NP, Michael Yuzefovich, MD, FACOG, Perry Friedman, MD, Denise Valdes, CNM, WHNP-BC, and Matt Stahl, PharmD. An assigned reviewer has not necessarily completed a medical review. Only a recorded sign-off for the current article version earns the medically reviewed label.

Michael Yuzefovich provides primary medical review, and Sharyn Harrison adds a second clinical review to the articles she reviews. One clinician’s sign-off does not replace another’s. Denise Valdes serves as Chief Education Officer, and Matt Stahl serves as CEO. Denise and Matt are not assigned routine article sign-offs. Company and education roles are separate from the medical-review credit shown on each article.

The six principles behind every page

1. The answer comes first. Every clinical page opens with a direct verdict and a plain-language answer, then shows the studies and guideline documents behind it. When the evidence is mixed, the verdict rounds down, never up.
2. Every source is real, and linked. We cite MotherToBaby, ACOG, the CDC, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, the FDA, and PubMed, and every citation resolves to a working page. If a claim cannot be sourced, it does not run.
3. Reviewed by the right specialty. Michael Yuzefovich, MD, FACOG, provides the primary medical review. Sharyn Harrison, CNM, NP, provides additional clinical review within her professional scope. Each completed review is credited separately to the clinician and the article version reviewed.
4. Structure and function, never disease. We write in structure and function terms and never claim to cure, treat, prevent, diagnose, or heal a disease. Every substance page carries the FDA disclaimer block and a line telling you to consult your healthcare provider.
5. Draft until a clinician signs off. Until a reviewer signs off, a page reads draft, pending clinical review, and that status shows on the page alongside the reviewer's name and a last-updated date.
6. Medications get a referral, not a verdict. Over-the-counter medicines get a neutral evidence summary and a clear pointer to your provider. Pregnancy Smart never issues a brand safety verdict on a medication.

Source hierarchy

When medical guidance conflicts, we defer to the highest-authority source in this order: MotherToBaby fact sheets, ACOG practice bulletins and committee opinions, CDC and NIH/ODS guidance, FDA drug labels, and finally peer-reviewed PubMed literature. We do not cite consumer blogs, product marketing, or unsourced expert opinion.

Verdict rubric

• Generally considered safe: routine use aligns with mainstream OB guidance and no serious pregnancy-specific concerns are documented.
• Use with caution: some situations warrant caution, or evidence is mixed.
• Best avoided: mainstream guidance discourages routine use in pregnancy.
• Evidence summary: consult your healthcare provider: used for over-the-counter medications and topics where the correct answer is patient-specific.

Review cadence

Every clinical page displays its review status and a content-update or medical-review date. A completed sign-off applies to the medical content the clinician reviewed. Changing the medical content invalidates reviews of the earlier version. Each clinician can withdraw their own sign-off, and each sign-off expires after one year. Other current approvals remain credited unless clinical changes have been requested. Unresolved clinical concerns withhold all public review credit until addressed. Content-update dates and review-recording dates are kept separately.

A review may be recorded directly by the clinician or entered by an administrator on the basis of a reported completed review. The audit history identifies who entered it, the clinician, the content version, and when the review was recorded. A company role alone never provides review credit, and current approvals do not automatically apply to future articles.

Corrections

Corrections are welcome. If you believe a page is inaccurate or a citation is broken, please contact our editorial team. Include the article link and the passage or source that needs attention. A material correction requires renewed clinical sign-off before the page is labeled medically reviewed again.

Ownership and how we make money

This library is published by Pregnancy Smart, the company that makes the Pregnancy Smart supplements. Members of our clinical board, including our founder and our chief executive, hold roles in the company. We state this plainly because it is the honest context for everything you read here.

Two rules keep the commercial side from bending the clinical side. First, every verdict is sourced to third-party clinical guidance and rounds down on mixed or thin evidence, regardless of whether the topic touches our own products: our caution verdicts on botanicals that appear in our own formulas are the proof. Second, any place a page mentions a Pregnancy Smart product, the mention carries an on-page disclosure that we make it.

What this site is not

These articles are for medical information only and not intended as a form of medical advice. Please consult your health professional for medical recommendations.