2009 Press Releases
UCC research shows that giving up smoking helps pregnancies
21.08.2009
A major international study involving UCC researchers has found that giving up smoking early in pregnancy reverses the risks of complications. A set of proteins in the blood of pregnant women has also been identified that may predict the development of preeclampsia.
21.08.2009
A major international study involving UCC researchers has found that giving up smoking early in pregnancy reverses the risks of complications. A set of proteins in the blood of pregnant women has also been identified that may predict the development of preeclampsia.
The study has found that women who quit smoking within the first fifteen weeks of pregnancy can reverse their elevated risk of premature birth and having small babies, without suffering increased stress. The international study, SCOPE, is being carried out by six universities around the world and will monitor 10,000 women, 3,000 of whom will be recruited in Cork. “For the first time it has been shown that pregnant women who stop smoking during this window of opportunity can prevent serious late pregnancy complications,” says Professor Louise Kenny, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UCC. The findings are significant because they show that maternity care providers should see women early in pregnancy and emphasise the importance of giving up smoking before 15 weeks with the goal of becoming smoke free as early as possible in the pregnancy,” she says.
According to the research women who do not quit smoking by 15 weeks of pregnancy are three times more likely than non- smokers to give birth prematurely and twice as likely to have low birth-weight babies. In contrast, women who quit smoking by 15 weeks bring their risk of these complications back down to the same level as non-smokers. Another important finding was that women who stop smoking by 15 weeks of pregnancy are not more stressed than those who continued to smoke. “This challenges the widely-held assumption that giving up smoking leads to increased stress and it’s an important message for women who are daunted by the idea of trying to quit,” says Professor Kenny.
While it has been known for some time that smoking during pregnancy increases rates of premature birth and low birth weight – as well as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, still birth and neonatal death – few studies have investigated whether quitting within a critical time period can prevent these complications.
The current results come from more than 2,500 women participating in the study in New Zealand and Australia who were surveyed at 15 weeks gestation. Results for 500 women, now recruited from Cork will be added to the study to examine this effect in Irish women.
Another major finding in the study is the identification of a set of proteins in the blood of pregnant women that may predict the development of preeclampsia.
“The discovery of these biomarkers opens the way for the development of a potential screening test for preeclampsia,” says Professor Kenny. At present there is no method to identify first-time mothers who will develop this serious condition. “If women at high risk of preeclampsia could be identified early in pregnancy, they could be offered intervention to prevent it and more intensive monitoring to enable earlier detection of the condition. Earlier detection would prevent some women developing severe complications such as seizures, liver impairment and kidney failure.”
Preeclampsia occurs in between 4% and 7% of first-time pregnancies and affects around eight million women worldwide and is potentially life threatening for mother and child. It occurs typically late in pregnancy, but according to the research, women who develop preeclampsia have altered blood proteins at a much earlier stage. A set of 33 proteins were present at abnormal levels prior to development of preeclampsia and could form part of a future test to classify which women were at risk of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is believed to be caused by substances released from the placenta that trigger problems in the mother’s circulation. The proteins identified in the research are consistent with the biological processes thought to contribute to preeclampsia, providing further insight into how it may develop. “Women who develop preeclampsia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and our findings suggest how the two conditions may be linked.”
The primary aim of the SCOPE study is to develop screening tests to predict preeclampsia, ‘small for gestational age’ infants and spontaneous preterm birth. The study is being carried out by UCC, and a group of international universities, including the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Picture shows L-R: Dr Deirdre Murray, Claire Cullinane, Professor Louise Kenny and Mary Aherne from Lehenaghmore, Cork with baby Pádraig.
RMcD
According to the research women who do not quit smoking by 15 weeks of pregnancy are three times more likely than non- smokers to give birth prematurely and twice as likely to have low birth-weight babies. In contrast, women who quit smoking by 15 weeks bring their risk of these complications back down to the same level as non-smokers. Another important finding was that women who stop smoking by 15 weeks of pregnancy are not more stressed than those who continued to smoke. “This challenges the widely-held assumption that giving up smoking leads to increased stress and it’s an important message for women who are daunted by the idea of trying to quit,” says Professor Kenny.
While it has been known for some time that smoking during pregnancy increases rates of premature birth and low birth weight – as well as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, still birth and neonatal death – few studies have investigated whether quitting within a critical time period can prevent these complications.
The current results come from more than 2,500 women participating in the study in New Zealand and Australia who were surveyed at 15 weeks gestation. Results for 500 women, now recruited from Cork will be added to the study to examine this effect in Irish women.
Another major finding in the study is the identification of a set of proteins in the blood of pregnant women that may predict the development of preeclampsia.
“The discovery of these biomarkers opens the way for the development of a potential screening test for preeclampsia,” says Professor Kenny. At present there is no method to identify first-time mothers who will develop this serious condition. “If women at high risk of preeclampsia could be identified early in pregnancy, they could be offered intervention to prevent it and more intensive monitoring to enable earlier detection of the condition. Earlier detection would prevent some women developing severe complications such as seizures, liver impairment and kidney failure.”
Preeclampsia occurs in between 4% and 7% of first-time pregnancies and affects around eight million women worldwide and is potentially life threatening for mother and child. It occurs typically late in pregnancy, but according to the research, women who develop preeclampsia have altered blood proteins at a much earlier stage. A set of 33 proteins were present at abnormal levels prior to development of preeclampsia and could form part of a future test to classify which women were at risk of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is believed to be caused by substances released from the placenta that trigger problems in the mother’s circulation. The proteins identified in the research are consistent with the biological processes thought to contribute to preeclampsia, providing further insight into how it may develop. “Women who develop preeclampsia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and our findings suggest how the two conditions may be linked.”
The primary aim of the SCOPE study is to develop screening tests to predict preeclampsia, ‘small for gestational age’ infants and spontaneous preterm birth. The study is being carried out by UCC, and a group of international universities, including the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Picture shows L-R: Dr Deirdre Murray, Claire Cullinane, Professor Louise Kenny and Mary Aherne from Lehenaghmore, Cork with baby Pádraig.
RMcD