SCOPE is an international study involving a large team of doctors, scientists and midwives from New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The SCOPE team in Cork is led by Professor Louise Kenny, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCC and co-ordinated by Nicolai Murphy, SCOPE Study Co-ordinator. The team includes a number of Research Midwives, Lab technicians and Doctors.
The study aims to develop predictive tests for poor pregnancy outcomes and in particular to detect women at risk of developing the life-threatening condition, pre-eclampsia. Nicolai explains that through the development of a predictive test this study will benefit future generations of mothers and their unborn babies enormously.
The SCOPE study requires the women to have two extra visits outside of their routine maternity care. The first visit is between 14 and 17 weeks in the pregnancy. The second is between 19 and 22 weeks. The first visit will involve taking the woman’s details and a blood and urine sample. The second visit is similar to the first but also includes a detailed scan of the baby, this is called an anatomy scan, it looks at the baby from head to toe. Appointments take place in the Cork University Maternity Hospital. To be eligible to participate the women must be in her first ongoing pregnancy and be in good health.
“This is a fantastic addition to the maternity service, women seem to appreciate the extra midwife contact” says Nicolai. “Cork currently has the largest number of participants in the northern hemisphere, we have also surpassed our Australian colleagues. We hope to have 2,500 women recruited into SCOPE by this time next year making us the largest contributor to the worldwide study”, she said.
To find out if you are eligible please contact the SCOPE office at (021) 4205026 or email scope@ucc.ie
Picture: Joanne Crowley, the 1000th participant recruited into the SCOPE study in Cork University Maternity Hospital, recently visited the CUMH with her partner Richie Roche. L-R: Research Midwife Mary O'Riordan, Joanne Crowley, Nicolai Murphy, SCOPE Study Co-ordinator and Richie Roche.
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