Volunteers needed for pre-pregnancy research

Doctors at the Rosie Hospital are looking for a link between what happens when a pregnancy begins and the problems that can develop before the baby is born. This is the first research of its kind in the UK – and the team involved is asking for help from local women who are trying to conceive.

 

Mr Christoph Lees, consultant in obstetrics and fetal-maternal medicine, explains:

 

“Most pregnancies go well – but some women develop problems that result in miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, or reduced growth of the baby. We think these may be connected to the length of time it takes for a fertilised egg to attach itself to the lining of the womb, and so we want to measure that time period in a range of women so we can investigate the potential link.”

 

The researchers will also look for connections between the mother’s cardiovascular system – specifically, the stiffness of her arteries – and the outcome of the pregnancy.

 

Dr Ian Wilkinson, the consultant clinical pharmacologist leading this part of the study, says:

 

“Previous research has shown that some women are at increased risk of pre-eclampsia because of the way their heart and blood vessels work – so we are carrying out tests to look at this in more detail. We will look at both sets of results together – and we hope that our findings will enable further research into how problems like these can be tackled in the future.”

 

The researchers are looking for volunteers aged over 18 from four categories:

• Healthy women who have never been pregnant
• Healthy women with one or more normal-term pregnancies
• Women who have had three or more consecutive miscarriages
• Women who have had previous problems in late pregnancy – pre-eclampsia requiring delivery at less than 34 weeks; intrauterine growth restriction; or stillbirth

Participants will be issued with a supply of free ovulation and pregnancy test kits to use in their own home. They will visit the hospital before, during and after pregnancy for some simple, non-invasive tests on their heart and blood vessels, and they will have extra ultrasound scans in early and late pregnancy.

 

Women who want to find out more can contact Dr Amita Mahendru

Tel: 07947 814 778

amita.mahendru@addenbrookes.nhs.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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