MedPath

Singapore PREconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes

Active, not recruiting
Conditions
Neurological and Mental Health Conditions
Metabolic Disease
Registration Number
NCT03531658
Lead Sponsor
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
Brief Summary

The study aims to evaluate how preconception and early prenatal environmental factors can potentially influence health outcomes for both mother and child during pregnancy and postnatally.

Detailed Description

It is now evident that prenatal stage represents a window of susceptibility for early life exposure that can have an effect on developing fetus, with potential long-lasting consequences for offspring growth and development. Emerging research suggest that the environmental modulation of tissue development and function may even occur both before and soon after conception but as yet, limited study has been conducted to investigate the relationship of preconception and early prenatal life conditions, including nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors, with maternal and offspring health.

This prospective preconception cohort study recruited 1054 women who plan to get pregnant. The investigators will assess the women metabolically, nutritionally and epigenetically, then monitor them from their first missed menses with nutritional surveys and assays and repeated bio-sampling to birth followed by assessment in the women of lactation and lactational nutrition. Biochemical and molecular analyses will be done on the cord and placenta at birth and in buccal smears at frequent postnatal intervals. The women's partners will also be recruited on consent. Phenotypic measures of body composition and core neurodevelopmental measures will be followed in the offspring from birth until 8 years of age. Metabolic and mental health of women will also be measured from preconception until 8 years postpartum. At delivery phase, there are 373 mother-child pairs with 80% of fathers enrolled in the study as well.

This study allows understanding of the potential triggers during early life environment, including nutritional and lifestyle factors, emotional wellbeing, socio-economic status, microbiome, pollutants, metabolomics and epigenetics, which can independently or collectively influence metabolic and neural phenotypes in the offspring and mother. This will help to establish what future directions may hold in terms of possible preventive strategies that may lead to decreased prevalence of metabolic diseases and mental/ neurological disorders.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
1054
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Women aged 18-35 years
  2. Intention to reside in Singapore for the next 5 years
  3. Chinese, Malay, Indian or any combinations of these 3 ethnic groups
  4. Planning to conceive within 1 year
  5. Able to provide written, informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
  1. Have been actively trying to conceive for more than 18 months
  2. Currently pregnant
  3. Assisted fertility, apart from those taking clomiphene alone in the past 1 month
  4. Established pre-existing diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
  5. Oral or implanted contraception, or with an IUCD in situ in the past 1 month
  6. On systemic steroids in the past 1 month
  7. On anticonvulsants in the past 1 month
  8. On HIV or Hepatitis B or C medication in the past 1 month
  9. Not becoming pregnant after more than 12 months from recruitment
  10. Eventual multiple pregnancies
  11. Pregnancy complications such as miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy, still birth

The partners of the women will also be invited to participate in the study. Upon informed consent, fathers will have blood, urine, hair sampling, buccal swabs, body measurements and cognitive assessment. These will be done along with health and lifestyle questionnaire within one to two study visits.

The mothers will consent for their children to have body measurements, cognitive assessment, buccal, hair, stool samples and allergy testing from birth to 8 years of age. Assent will also be taken when the child turns 6.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Offspring neurocognitive and behavioural developmentUp to 9 months, from 3-12 months of age

Offspring neurocognitive and behavioural development measured by questionnaires, behavioural tasks and brain MRI.

Offspring adiposityUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age

Offspring adiposity (total and percentage fat mass) measured by skinfold calipers, air-displacement plethysmography, quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Offspring skin microbiome collected by sterile tape stripsUp to 60 months, from 1 week until 5 years of age
Maternal glucose tolerance status measured by Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)At preconception, 27-28 weeks of gestation, 3 months and 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 years postpartum
Maternal cardiovascular health (subsample) measured through clinical examinationAt preconception, 27-28 weeks of gestation, 6 months postpartum
Offspring growth trajectoriesUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Duration of gestationUp to 42 weeks, between estimated date of conception based on ultrasound scan and date of delivery
Offspring anogenital distance measured by Vernier calipersUp to 12 months, from birth until 12 months of age
Offspring body weight measured by calibrated weighing scaleUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Offspring metabolomics, lipidomics and pollutant profile measured through biospecimens such as cord, cord blood, heel prick blood, and hair samplesUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Maternal weight measured by calibrated weighing scaleUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Maternal body composition measured by skinfold calipers, air-displacement plethysmography, bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)Up to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy (only using skinfold caliper) and 8 years postpartum
Maternal skin microbiome collected by sterile tape strips34-36 weeks of gestation and 18 months postpartum
Fetal growth measured by ultrasound scanUp to 30 weeks, between 6-36 weeks of gestation
Changes in maternal body composition before, during and after gestationUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Maternal allergic wellbeing measured by questionnaires and skin prick testUp to 40 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 18 months postpartum
Mode of deliveryDelivery
Pregnancy and live birth rates based on ultrasound scanBetween early pregnancy and delivery
Maternal, paternal and offspring genotyping (blood or buccal samples)Up to 123 months, from preconception to pregnancy and up to 8 years postpartum
Maternal micronutrient status measured from blood samplesUp to 123 months, from preconception to pregnancy and up to 8 years postpartum
Maternal and infant transcriptomics (including of breast milk)Up to 28 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 6 months postpartum
Offspring adiposity trajectories (total and percentage fat mass)Up to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Offspring allergic wellbeing measured by skin examination and skin prick testUp to 60 months, from 1 week until 5 years of age
Offspring epigenetic profile measured through cord, cord blood, and buccal smear samplesUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Maternal blood pressure measured by semi-automatic blood pressure deviceUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Maternal epigenetic profile measured from blood and buccal smear samplesUp to 123 months, from preconception to pregnancy and up to 8 years postpartum
Breast milk epigenetic profileUp to 6 months, from 1 week to 6 months postpartum
Influence of parental and offspring genotypes, body compositions, lifestyle and diet on the above primary and secondary outcomesUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Offspring gut microbiome measured through stool samplesUp to 96 months, from birth until 8 years of age
Changes in maternal weight before, during and after gestationUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Maternal body weight status determined by body mass index based on weight (kg) /height (m)2At preconception visit; 3 months- 8 years postpartum
Maternal mental health/emotional wellbeing measured by questionnaires and behavioural tasksUp to 123 months, between preconception, pregnancy and 8 years postpartum
Pregnancy complications obtained from questionnaires and clinical documentsUp to 41 weeks, between early pregnancy and delivery
Time to pregnancyUp to 12 months, between the date of last menstrual period obtained from the first preconception visit and before conception (if pregnant) or the most recent follow up (if not pregnant)
Maternal metabolomics, lipidomics and pollutant profile measured from biospecimens such as blood, urine, hairUp to 123 months, from preconception to pregnancy and up to 8 years postpartum
Maternal transcription profile measured from blood samplesUp to 123 months, from preconception to pregnancy and up to 8 years postpartum
Maternal microbiota composition profile measured from stool and epithelial (breast, vaginal and rectal) swab samplesUp to 24 months, preconception, to pregnancy, pre-delivery and 6 weeks postpartum
Breast milk macronutrient profileUp to 6 months, from 1 week to 6 months postpartum
Breast milk micronutrient profileUp to 6 months, from 1 week to 6 months postpartum
Breast milk metabolomic profileUp to 6 months, from 1 week to 6 months postpartum

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

KK Women's and Children's Hospital

🇸🇬

Singapore, Singapore

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath