The NHS is teaming up with its academic counterparts in Cambridge to conduct a first-of-its-kind study investigating why some pregnant women will develop pre-eclampsia and placental complications and how it influences their long-term health.
Led by the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), the POPPY study will monitor women before, during and after pregnancy in a bid to better understand risk factors so treatment can be improved in the future.
Complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune disease, age and obesity prior to pregnancy are all things that can increase the likelihood of developing pre-eclampsia and placental dysfunction – but it is currently unknown why and if there are other contributory factors.
Dr Bernadette Jenner, who is a medical registrar in obstetric medicine and clinical pharmacology at CUH, is leading the POPPY study in Cambridge.
She said: “Our lack of knowledge and understanding about placental conditions is really poor, especially when you consider how common they are, and the serious impact they can have on women and babies, which at times is life-threatening.
Placental complications – which can include pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension and fetal growth restriction – affect approximately one in 10 pregnancies.
“We have some big gaps in our knowledge and this study hopes to find answers,” added Dr Jenner.
As well as at CUH, two more sites at Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust and the Glasgow Royal Infirmary will open soon, with additional areas expected to launch in the coming months.
In order to participate in the study, women must be planning their first pregnancy and live in Cambridge, London or Glasgow – up to 3,500 people are expected to take part.
Therapeutics professor and clinical pharmacologist from the University of Cambridge, Ian Wilkinson, is also leading the study.
He said: “The POPPY study is a world first and will help us to better understand why common complications of pregnancy adversely affect women’s long term cardiovascular health.”
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