How pregnancy and childbirth affect heart, blood vessel, and cholesterol health later in life
Effect of reproductive history on longitudinal change in cardiac, vascular and lipid parameters
This project looks at whether pregnancy experiences and the number of births change heart structure, blood vessel health, and cholesterol in middle-aged women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11239810 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join women who were first examined as girls and are being asked to return now in their mid-40s for heart tests and blood work. The team will combine past exams and stored blood samples with a new in-person visit of about 350 participants to measure heart structure (echocardiograms), blood vessel function, and HDL cholesterol and HDL particle function. Researchers will compare those measures with each woman’s pregnancy and birth history to see which pregnancy-related changes persist. The hope is to link changes that happen around pregnancy with later heart and vascular health so care can be improved for women as they approach menopause.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are women in their mid-40s who have had pregnancies, can attend an in-person visit at the study site, and especially those who were originally enrolled in the NGHS cohort.
Not a fit: This research will not directly benefit men, women who have never been pregnant, or people unable to travel to the study visit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify women at higher risk of heart disease after pregnancy and guide earlier monitoring or prevention.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have observed links between pregnancy history and later cardiovascular risk and HDL changes, but directly connecting pregnancy-era cardiometabolic changes to midlife heart and vascular outcomes is a novel effort.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Woo, Jessica G — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Woo, Jessica G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.