High blood cholesterol matters in pregnancy and should be monitored and treated as part of standard care.
That’s the message from women’s health researchers at the University of Alberta whose recent findings show a link between excessively high cholesterol during pregnancy and the health of the placenta.
Excessively high cholesterol occurs in about 25 per cent of pregnancies and is a significant risk factor for preeclampsia, a dangerous condition that can harm both mother and baby.
The team’s most recent paper showed using rats that very high cholesterol levels cause dangerous spikes in anti-angiogenic proteins that can stop the growth of new blood vessels in the placenta, especially in male fetuses.
Earlier work from the same team showed that excessive levels of maternal cholesterol impair the uterine artery’s ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus.
In both papers, the researchers found that low-dose aspirin can improve the way the uterine arteries and the placenta work together to supply nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, leading to better pregnancy outcomes.
“Our studies provide a powerful argument towards changing human clinical guidelines,” says first author Dr. Amanda de Oliveira, a postdoctoral fellow, who works with Dr. Sandra Davidge, Distinguished University Professor in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology and physiology, and executive director of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
“Maternal lipid tracking should be routine,” de Oliveira says, “and low-dose aspirin could be a preventative measure to protect both the maternal blood vessels and the developing fetus.”
This research is supported by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, as well as by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.