Intrauterine environmental exposures and pregnancy outcomes

Summary

This project will investigate whether various intrauterine environmental factors have a causal effect on pregnancy complications by using genetic markers as instrumental variables.

Abstract

Research has shown that lifestyle and environmental factors, such as maternal smoking and BMI during pregnancy, are associated with pregnancy complications. However, it is unclear whether these associations are due to a causal effect of the intrauterine exposures, or whether the associations are due to other background factors that affect both lifestyle and environmental exposures in addition to pregnancy complications. In this project, we will investigate whether various intrauterine environmental factors have a causal effect on pregnancy complications by using genetic markers as instrumental variables. The project will include all participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child Study who have quality-assured GWAS data. GWAS means genome-wide association study, i.e. the use of marker genes throughout the genome. The research will help to increase our understanding of risk factors for common pregnancy complications, which is essential for further preventive forearm health work.