Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes
Importance: Both low and high gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes, but optimal gestational weight gain remains uncertain and not well defined for all prepregnancy weight ranges. Objectives: To examine the association of ranges of gestational weight gain with risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes and estimate optimal gestational weight gain ranges across prepregnancy body mass index categories. Design, setting, and participants: Individual participant-level meta-analysis using data from 196 670 participants within 25 cohort studies from Europe and North America (main study sample). Optimal gestational weight gain ranges were estimated…
Placental DNA methylation signatures of maternal smoking during pregnancy and potential impacts on fetal growth.
We would like to thank all the families that participated in these studies for their generous contribution. Detailed acknowledgements and funding can be found in Sup plementary Material.
Maternal and fetal genetic effects on birth weight and their relevance to cardio-metabolic risk factors
AbstractBirth weight (BW) variation is influenced by fetal and maternal genetic and non-genetic factors, and has been reproducibly associated with future cardio-metabolic health outcomes. These associations have been proposed to reflect the lifelong consequences of an adverse intrauterine environment. In earlier work, we demonstrated that much of the negative correlation between BW and adult cardio-metabolic traits could instead be attributable to shared genetic effects. However, that work and other previous studies did not systematically distinguish the direct effects of an individual’s own genotype on BW and subsequent disease risk from indirect effects of their mother’s correlated genoty…
Impact of maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy complications: an individual participant data meta-analysis of European, North American and Australian cohorts
ObjectiveTo assess the separate and combined associations of maternal pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain with the risks of pregnancy complications and their population impact.DesignIndividual participant data meta‐analysis of 39 cohorts.SettingEurope, North America, and Oceania.Population265 270 births.MethodsInformation on maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and pregnancy complications was obtained. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were used.Main outcome measuresGestational hypertension, pre‐eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, small and large for gestational age at birth.ResultsHigher maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI and gesta…
Maternal and fetal genetic contribution to gestational weight gain
Background: Clinical recommendations to limit gestational weight gain (GWG) imply high GWG is causally related to adverse outcomes in mother or offspring, but GWG is the sum of several inter-related complex phenotypes (maternal fat deposition and vascular expansion, placenta, amniotic fluid and fetal growth). Understanding the genetic contribution to GWG could help clarify the potential effect of its different components on maternal and offspring health. Here we explore the genetic contribution to total, early and late GWG. Participants and methods: A genome-wide association study was used to identify maternal and fetal variants contributing to GWG in up to 10 543 mothers and 16 317 offspri…
DNA methylation changes associated with prenatal mercury exposure:A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies from PACE consortium
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous heavy metal that originates from both natural and anthropogenic sources and is transformed in the environment to its most toxicant form, methylmercury (MeHg). Recent studies suggest that MeHg exposure can alter epigenetic modifications during embryogenesis. In this study, we examined associations between prenatal MeHg exposure and levels of cord blood DNA methylation (DNAm) by meta-analysis in up to seven independent studies (n = 1462) as well as persistence of those relationships in blood from 7 to 8 year-old children (n = 794). In cord blood, we found limited evidence of differential DNAm at cg24184221 in MED31 (β = 2.28 × 10-4, p-value = 5.87 × 10-5) in relat…