Maternal Health and Wellness Study
Background
Pregnancy is a time of great joy, however it also represents a time of significant physiological stress in mothers. Although it is recognised that inflammatory activity and oxidative stress (OS) are key mediators in pregnancy, their functional role in gestational health and disease is poorly understood. A growing body of evidence supports the role of exaggerated imbalances of inflammatory-oxidative activity in adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Importantly, these biomarkers of sub-clinical disease activity are known to be modified by extrinsic variables and it is likely that factors within the maternal environment and lifestyle contribute to the physiological stress of pregnancy. Furthermore, it is likely that these variables influence the health and development of the neonate. In doing so, it may be possible to identify ‘lifestyle interventions’ that target the physiological stress of pregnancy, with significant implications in antenatal health.
Study Aims
- To clarify the relationship between the maternal lifestyle variables and inflammatory-oxidative activity
- To identify evidence-based lifestyle targets that may reduce OS in the maternal-neonatal unit
