Study of Heart and Metabolic Health From Before to After First Pregnancy in Women Aged 18 to 45

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the link between placental complications during pregnancy and later risks of heart disease and diabetes in women. This study focuses on women who have never been pregnant before and aims to understand how conditions like pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and fetal growth restriction may affect heart and metabolic health before, during, and after pregnancy. A control group of women not planning pregnancy will also be included to compare differences. Participants will be grouped based on their pregnancy plans one group actively trying to conceive within about 12 months, and another group not planning to conceive for at least 18 months. The study does not involve treatment but will observe these women over time, with visits before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and 9 to 12 months after delivery for those who become pregnant. The study duration varies from 12 to 33 months depending on pregnancy timing and outcomes. Throughout the study, women will undergo various assessments including blood pressure, body measurements, blood tests for cholesterol, glucose and other markers, urine tests, and heart function scans. Researchers will measure risk differences for heart disease and diabetes using tools like QRISK3 and oral glucose tolerance tests. Safety and health will be monitored throughout, with the goal of understanding how placental syndromes affect maternal cardiometabolic health independently of pre-pregnancy condition.

Cardiometabolic Health in First Time Pregnancy