First-trimester maternal haemodynamic adaptation to pregnancy and placental, embryonic and fetal development: the prospective observational Rotterdam Periconception cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether first-trimester maternal haemodynamic adaptation impacts placental, embryonic and fetal development as well as birth outcomes in pregnancies with and without placenta-related complications. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort. SETTING: A Dutch tertiary hospital. POPULATION: Two hundred and fourteen ongoing pregnancies. METHODS: At 7, 9 and 11 weeks of gestation, we assessed maternal haemodynamic adaptation (mean arterial blood pressure [MAP], uterine artery [UtA] blood flow) and placental development (placental volume [PV], uteroplacental vascular volume [uPVV]) using three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound volumes, and embryonic development (crown-rump length, embryonic volume). At 22 and 32 weeks of gestation, fetal development was assessed by estimated fetal weight. Birth outcomes (birthweight, placental weight) were extracted from medical records. Linear mixed modelling and linear regression analyses were applied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Birthweight centile and placental weight. RESULTS: In placenta-related complications (n= 55, 25.7%), reduced haemodynamic adaptation, i.e. higher UtA pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) trajectories, was associated with smaller increase in PV (ß = -0.559, 95% CI -0.841 to -0.278, P< 0.001; ß = -0.579, 95% CI -0.878 to -0.280, P< 0.001) and uPVV trajectories (UtA PI: ß = -0.301, 95% CI -0.578 to -0.023, P= 0.034). At birth, reduced haemodynamic adaptation was associated with lower placental weight (UtA PI: ß = -0.502, 95% CI -0.922 to -0.082, P= 0.022; UtA RI: ß = -0.435, 95% CI -0.839 to -0.032, P= 0.036). In pregnancies without placenta-related complications, higher MAP trajectories were positively associated with birthweight centile (ß = 0.398, 95% CI 0.049-0.748, P= 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced first-trimester maternal haemodynamic adaptation impacts both placental size and vascularisation and birthweight centile, in particular in pregnancies with placenta-related complications. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Reduced first-trimester maternal haemodynamic adaptation to pregnancy impairs early placental development.

Prognostic models versus single risk factor approach in first-trimester selective screening for gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective population-based multicentre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether (1) first-trimester prognostic models for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) outperform the currently used single risk factor approach, and (2) a first-trimester random venous glucose measurement improves model performance. DESIGN: Prospective population-based multicentre cohort. SETTING: Thirty-one independent midwifery practices and six hospitals in the Netherlands. POPULATION: Women recruited before 14 weeks of gestation without pre-existing diabetes. METHODS: The single risk factor approach (presence of at least one risk factor: BMI ≥30 kg/m2 , previous macrosomia, history of GDM, positive first-degree family history of diabetes, non-western ethnicity) was compared with the four best performing models in our previously published external validation study (Gabbay-Benziv 2014, Nanda 2011, Teede 2011, van Leeuwen 2010) with and without the addition of glucose. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Discrimination was assessed by c-statistics, calibration by calibration plots, added value of glucose by the likelihood ratio chi-square test, net benefit by decision curve analysis and reclassification by reclassification plots. RESULTS: Of the 3723 women included, a total of 181 (4.9%) developed GDM. The c-statistics of the prognostic models were higher, ranging from 0.74 to 0.78 without glucose and from 0.78 to 0.80 with glucose, compared with the single risk factor approach (0.72). Models showed adequate calibration, and yielded a higher net benefit than the single risk factor approach for most threshold probabilities. Teede 2011 performed best in the reclassification analysis. CONCLUSIONS: First-trimester prognostic models seem to outperform the currently used single risk factor approach in screening for GDM, particularly when glucose was added as a predictor. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Prognostic models seem to outperform the currently used single risk factor approach in screening for gestational diabetes.