Innovation award for pregnancy harness
AMEDICAL harness designed by a businessman to help pregnant women combat acute pelvic pain has won an innovation award.
Dafydd Roberts has been working with medics from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) since designing the special support girdle to help his wife Ruth during her fourth pregnancy. It is made by the family’s clothing and manufacturing business Brodwaith, based in Anglesey and Conwy, under the company name of HGR Ltd.
The harness is undergoing clinical trials across all of BCUHB’s hospital sites under a team of physiotherapists and health specialists, led by Wrexham Maelor consultant obstetrician Dr Kalpana Upadhyay, an honorary lecturer at the University of Bangor.
Mr Roberts, who lives with Ruth and their children in Pentrefoelas, was inspired to design the special support girdle following his wife’s agony during pregnancy. Ruth was unable to walk and was forced to use a wheelchair to get around because of the intense pelvic pain she suffered while expecting her fourth child.
Mr Roberts, with the help of Ruth, developed a harness that supported the weight of the bump and held the pelvic bones in a comfortable position, which offered immediate relief. He continued to improve on the design and eventually located the ideal material from a supplier in America.
Dr Upadhyay, a specialist in highrisk pregnancies, recognised the potential in the new harness from the outset. She gathered a team of researchers, physiotherapists, midwives, industry managers from Health & Care Research Wales and experts from the clinical trials team NWORTH at the University of Bangor to investigate if the device was better than current treatment available.
The condition is caused by an excess of pregnancy hormones which are designed to soften the pelvic muscles and ligaments to help with childbirth – but having too much of the hormones too soon can leave the sufferer in agony. It affects one in five pregnant women and, in severe cases like Ruth’s, leaves the sufferer unable to walk through pain, with some experiencing lasting effects after the birth.
HGR Ltd, which recently launched the product online, is now celebrating after scooping the Judges Award at the MediWales Research & Innovation Award ceremony.
Mr Roberts said: “Up to now, we’ve opted for a soft launch, just to see how people respond to it. We’ve sold some online and we’ve had very positive feedback. Things are now moving pretty quickly and trials are ongoing across all sites at the BCUHB. We’re getting quite a bit of interest without really pushing the product. Once we know the outcome of the trial, we will get a much better idea.
“This project has involved a lot of time and money to develop and there’s no getting away from that but unless you put it in you’re not going to be able to move on. We’re very confident with the product. The result of the trials will determine its wider potential but the response we’ve had from private customers has been very reassuring and positive.”