Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure. If it happens, preeclampsia is dangerous for the mother and baby. Currently, there is no accurate way to predict who will get it – it can only be diagnosed once symptoms appear, generally in the second half of the pregnancy.
Recent research suggests that measuring the stiffness of a pregnant person’s arteries (arterial stiffness) may be a promising non-invasive test for predicting the development of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy.
We want to know if arterial stiffness measurements can better predict the development of pre-eclampsia when combined with standard clinical tests such as blood draws and ultrasound measurements. The ability to accurately predict who will develop preeclampsia would allow doctors to intervene sooner, providing more detailed monitoring and personalized treatments to those at greatest risk. It would also allow doctors to test preventative treatments, rather than only managing symptoms after they appear.
We are looking for people who:
- are at least 19 years of age
- are at or before the 14th week of pregnancy
- have 1 high-risk OR 2 moderate-risk factors for pre-eclampsia (listed below)
High-risk factors include:
- Autoimmune disease
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes
- Chronic hypertension
- A hypertensive disorder in a previous pregnancy
- Chronic kidney disease
- Complications in a previous pregnancy related to the placenta
Moderate-risk factors include:
- Having never given birth to a live baby
- Age greater than 35 years old
- BMI greater than 30 kg/m²
- Family history of preeclampsia (mother or sister)
- Assisted reproduction (including in vitro fertilization)
- African-American race
- Sleep apnea
- Connective tissue disease
Participation in this research study will last approximately 8 months and will include 2 visits to the hospital. The first visit will occur in your first trimester and take approximately 90 minutes, while the second visit will occur in your second trimester and will take around 60 minutes.
At both visits, you will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires, have some blood drawn, and have your arterial stiffness measured. There will also be an Uterine Artery Doppler (UAD) ultrasound done at the second visit which will be performed as a part of your standard care when possible.
After you give birth, we will review your medical chart to obtain information on your birth and post-birth treatment. We will also collect basic information about the birth of your baby to better understand the outcome of your pregnancy.
We will reimburse you for any parking expenses during the study visits up to $8.75 per study visit.
To learn more about the study or to participate, please email our Research Assistant/Research Coordinator at
mfm.research@cw.bc.ca, or call 604-612-9716.