Women not just ‘incubator’ for baby; healthy mum crucial for foetal health

New data showing how vital preconception health is has been used to create the first blood test that screens for the most serious complications of pregnancy in the first trimester.

A blood test to screen for the most common and serious complications of pregnancy — to be used before conception or in the first trimester — has been developed by Australian researchers.

The researchers say the test is a first, paving the way for women to take action to reduce their risk or receive medical treatment early.

It will help gauge the many lifestyle-related, genetic and medical factors contributing to an increased chance of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, spontaneous preterm birth and inter-uterine growth ­restriction.

In her keynote address this week at the world’s largest fertility conference, University of Adelaide’s Professor Claire Roberts presented findings from her study of more than 5600 first-time pregnant women from four countries about their preconception and pregnancy health.

The test can help women get treatment early on, so they can have healthy pregnancies.

The comprehensive study analysed what the woman ate the month before getting ­pregnant, her health and diet at 15 weeks gestation, her ­partner’s health and her own parents’ health.

Prof Roberts told the ­European Society of Human ­Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting that, using data from this study, the team had developed four ­algorithms allowing a blood test and questionnaire to predict a woman’s risk of pregnancy complications based on her genetics, lifestyle and medical factors between nine and 16 weeks gestation.

The team further validated this predictive formula in ­another 1300 pregnant women from Adelaide and Auckland, 10 years after they proved the formula in the original group.

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The researchers have now patented the STOP test — Screening Time to predict poor Outcomes in Pregnancy — and are working with a Melbourne start-up to get their test into the clinic.

“Lots of ongoing trials are testing various drugs to ­prevent complications,” Prof ­Roberts said.

“We think, in the next few years, some of these interventions will be shown to have worked. Being able to identify the risk early, you can monitor women more and potentially give them tailored interventions to reduce their risks.

“There is data now showing preconception health contributes not only to fertility, but the woman’s pregnancy health, the health of the foetus, and the woman and child’s health for life.

“The woman is not just an incubator. To have a healthy baby, you need a healthy mum.”

New research from the group has shown that women with metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions including obesity, high blood pressure and blood sugars, and abnormal cholesterol levels — are more likely to be infertile.

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