FINNCARE
Pre-eclampsia (PE) provides a unique window for early risk profiling and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We will, to our knowledge, first time evaluate whether a long-term lifestyle intervention is useful for improving cardiovascular health 9-12 years after the pregnancy. We will combine genome information with digital health care data on CVDs in women with and without a history of PE to determine the genetic risk profile by which PE relates with later CVD progression. This study will provide recommendations to optimize prevention of CVD progression in families with a history of PE and allows stratification of PE to refine the level of CVD risk. Awareness of CVD as the primary cause of mortality in women and the link between PE and CVD progression will also be improved. Translation of research findings into health policy which leads to improved health for women and their families in pregnancy and in future life is a priority for this study.
FINNPEC
The Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium Study
The Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) Study was established to set up a nationwide clinical and DNA database on women with and without pre-eclampsia (PE), including their partners and infants, in order to identify genetic risk factors for pre-eclampsia. All participants were recruited from the five university hospitals in Finland (Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Kuopio, and Oulu). Genome wide association study (GWAS) and several candidate gene studies have been performed. FINNPEC has participated in the InterPregGen Consortium (funded by the EU Seventh Framework Programme). The Consortium has published the first large scale GWASes in mothers and newborns.
Hypertensive pregnancy disorders – comparison of different frozen embryo transfer regimens
Frozen embryo transfers are an essential part of IVF/ICSI treatments for infertility. There are different regiments for preparing the uterus for receiving a frozen/thawed embryo. The hormonal ´milieu´ is different comparing these regiments, and recent findings suggest that these differences might affect maternal outcomes during pregnancy, specifically hypertensive complications. Our retrospective study aims to shed light on maternal and neonatal outcomes after different types of infertility treatments.
MSOP-PRE
Early PREdiction and personalized PREvention of Metabolic Syndrome Of Pregnancy and PREeclampsia
Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing a common pregnancy complication, pre-eclampsia (3% of pregnancies), and later cardiovascular disease. In the MSOP-PRE -project we will define metabolic syndrome of pregnancy (MSOP) and study its clinical and epidemiological aspects using information from the hospital records, lifestyle and dietary data, results from laboratory measurements, and genomic and proteomic data. Our aim is to develop a new prediction model for the MSOP and pre-eclampsia and compare the new model to the prediction models for pre-eclampsia. The new prediction model could help targeted prevention and follow-up during pregnancy. The model could also be used when developing targeted prevention of the cardiovascular disease in later life.
PREDO
Prediction and Prevention of Intrautrine Growth Restriction
The multidisciplinary PREDO Project ‘Prediction and Prevention of Pre-eclampsia’ consist of a cohort of 947 pregnant women with and 117 without known risk factors for pre-eclampsia who were included between September 2005 and December 2009. The project has three study arms: obstetric, genetic and psychological. The psychological arm includes an additional subsample of 3698 women who were enrolled regardless of their risk status. The recruitment took place when these women attended the first ultrasound screening at 12-14 th weeks of pregnancy. We collected blood and urine samples at three timepoints during pregnancy to study predictive markers for pre-eclampsia. For the genetic substudy we enrolled the father of the child and collected cord blood. The participants filled in a medical, family history and lifestyle questionnaire for the study of the risk factors, and for the psychological arm a questionnaire every second week during pregnancy. A subcohort of 150 high-risk women were included in the asa-trial to study its preventive effect.
Pre-eclampsia and hypertensive pregnancy as predictors of cardiovascular diseases women (PregHy)
Hypertensive pregnancy disorders and cardiovascular diseases share common clinical risk factors, including obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and diabetes, inflammation and coagulation defects. These disease groups share some of their pathogenic pathways and gene variations. The precise pathomechanism and genetic basis of hypertensive pregnancy disorders and their associated cardiovascular complications remain unknown. We want to investigate, whether preeclampsia or other hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a separate risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, or merely the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease in women bearing genetic risk. Our aim is to find answers to these questions using combined Finnish health registry and genotype data.
Pregnancy Outcomes in women with rare diseases
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PREMIuM
Pre-eclampsia (PE) is characterized by metabolic changes in the mother and the neonate. In the FINNPEC substudy, certain metabolites of cord plasma of PE-newborns were elevated, suggesting that there may be differences in gut microbiota metabolism of either the fetus or the mother, or both. Recent studies suggest that also in healthy pregnancies bacterial communities are present in the placenta, amniotic fluid and meconium. It’s obvious, that gut colonization of the fetus begins prior to birth. However, the origins and mechanism by which bacteria pass from the mother to the fetus, are still unknown.
In our project we aim to answer these questions. PREMIuM is a case-cohort study of PE and non-PE pregnancies, where we combine findings of metabolites of umbilical cord plasma, maternal plasma and meconium to findings of microbiota of newborn’s meconium and microbiota of maternal feces, vagina and oral cavity.