How we source our information

The bodies we rely on

• United Kingdom — NHS, NICE, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Tommy's
• United States — ACOG, the CDC, the FDA
• Australia and New Zealand — RANZCOG, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
• Canada — the SOGC, Health Canada
• International — the World Health Organization, the Cochrane Library

When guidance conflicts

National advice genuinely disagrees on some topics, and pretending otherwise is unhelpful. Guidance on runny eggs is a clear example: since 2017 UK Lion-mark eggs have been considered safe in pregnancy, while US guidance still advises avoiding undercooked eggs. Advice on deli meat and on which fish are safe also differs.

Where that happens we present each position, name the body behind it, and let you switch to the country where you receive your care. We do not average conflicting guidance into a single answer, and we do not silently follow whichever position is most convenient.

What we do not do

We do not cite other content websites as sources of clinical fact. We do not present a claim as established when the evidence is genuinely uncertain — we say it is uncertain. And where a popular belief is not supported by evidence, we say so plainly rather than repeating it because it draws traffic.