Campaigners celebrating their own special diamond jubilee have called for more research into drugs and treatments to prevent premature birth and pregnancy complications.
Action Medical Research played a key role in revealing the need for folic acid in pregnancy, in developing ultrasound scans and in developing the rubella vaccine.
The charity was founded in 1952 and spends about three million pounds a year on medical research.
Foetal heart rate monitoring, cooling therapies and baby brain scanner are among other recent developments it has backed.
Yesterday some of its early beneficiaries recalled the impact of the ground-breaking studies into pregnancy health.
Sue Calvert was invited to take folic acid after her second son Matthew was born in 1980 with spina bifida – and died shortly after birth.
Her third son William is now 28 after being born healthy as a result of the trial conducted at Leeds University.
Sue, now one of the charity’s most active fund-raisers, said: “If it wasn’t for the hope that this research offered of a healthy baby, I wouldn’t have considered another child. I was still so terrified that what happened to Matthew would happen again that I didn’t even tell anyone about the pregnancy.
"Looking back I feel incredibly proud to have helped give doctors knowledge which many women now take for granted.”
A charity spokeswoman said: "Medical research has led to a number of key breakthroughs to improve pregnancy outcomes and help more babies to be born healthy, but these breakthroughs take time, funds and dedication. Despite the progress made, there is still so much more to do.
"The impact on babies and their families is huge, yet there is limited research and drug development to help prevent premature birth and pregnancy complications that put babies’ lives at risk."
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