PRINCE - PRenatal Identification of Childrens HEalth

Children´s Health is critically dependent of the prenatal well-being of the mother, and a number of observational studies have identified an impaired immunity in children upon prenatal challenges, such as stress perception, medication, nutrition or infection. However, concerted, in-depth studies assessing how such prenatal challenges may alter fetal development and subsequently children´s health in humans are largely lacking. In the present project, we address this limitation by recruiting healthy, but also diseased pregnant women into a cohort study, followed up by the assessment of children´s health and immunity at birth and during the first ten years of life.

Study participants are recruited early in the first trimester (12-15 weeks of gestation). By means of data security all participants receive a study number. Data processing into the data base (Redcap) is performed under this pseudonym.

During the first visit, the study team explains the enrollment conditions and the participants are asked to give their consent. Study visits include the documentation of clinically important conditions, sonographic examination of the fetus, assessment of mother´s height and weight as well as blood collection (21 ml) of the mother. Additionally we document any kind of medication-intake and nutrition data, and the participants are asked to fill in a psychometric questionnaire. Study visits are scheduled according to the week of gestation, i.e. around 13th, 20th (ultrasound only), 24th, 28th, 34th week. If women give birth in our clinic, we are able to collect cord blood after birth.

Blood samples are processed immediately and stored in our laboratory under Biobank-conditions.