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Li LJ, Du R, Chan JKY, Tan KH, Wong TY, Eriksson JG, Su LL, Chong YS, Huang Z, Zhang C. Preconception maternal retinal arteriolar narrowing and fetal growth throughout pregnancy: A prospective cohort study. BJOG 2024; 131:278-287. [PMID: 37503769 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between preconception maternal retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth. DESIGN, SETTING AND POPULATION A hospital-based, prospective preconception cohort including 369 women with a singleton live birth. METHODS We collected detailed information on sociodemographic status, pregnancy history and lifestyle, and performed retinal imaging at the preconception visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We retrieved medical records documenting fetal growth biometrics (e.g., abdominal circumference [AC], head circumference [HC], femur length [FL]) at 11-13, 18-21, 24-28, and 32-34 weeks throughout pregnancy. We then computed the z scores for all fetal growth biometrics from 14 weeks of gestation where data were available, referencing the INTERGROWTH-21st fetal growth chart. We used a linear mixed model to estimate the association between maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth biometrics z scores throughout pregnancy, with random intercept accounting for repeated measures within individuals. We then performed a multivariable linear regression of maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and z score changes for all fetal growth biometrics between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, after full adjustment. RESULTS Maternal preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing was consistently associated with a reduction in fetal AC z scores (-0.34; 95% CI -0.66 to -0.03) throughout pregnancy. In addition, women with preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing tended to have significantly reduced z score changes in AC (-0.41; 95% CI -0.90 to -0.001) and fetal FL (-0.55; 95% CI -1.00 to -0.10) between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that women with narrower preconception retinal arterioles had smaller fetuses, evidenced by reductions in AC and FL z score throughout pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Jun Li
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Global Centre for Asian Women's Health, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruochen Du
- Biostatics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerry Kok Yen Chan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kok Hian Tan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tien Yin Wong
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Johan G Eriksson
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lin Lin Su
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yap Seng Chong
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Global Centre for Asian Women's Health, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhongwei Huang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency of Science, Technology & Research, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cuilin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Global Centre for Asian Women's Health, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Cohen NJ, Yao M, Midya V, India-Aldana S, Mouzica T, Andra SS, Narasimhan S, Meher AK, Arora M, Chan JKY, Chan SY, Loy SL, Minguez-Alarcon L, Oulhote Y, Huang J, Valvi D. Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and women's fertility outcomes in a Singaporean population-based preconception cohort. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 873:162267. [PMID: 36801327 PMCID: PMC10234267 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Experimental models have demonstrated a link between exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and decreased fertility and fecundability; however, human studies are scarce. We assessed the associations between preconception plasma PFAS concentrations and fertility outcomes in women. METHODS In a case-control study nested within the population-based Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes (S-PRESTO), we measured PFAS in plasma collected in 2015-2017 from 382 women of reproductive age trying to conceive. Using Cox proportional hazards regression (fecundability ratios [FRs]) and logistic regression (odds ratios [ORs]) models, we assessed the associations of individual PFAS with time-to-pregnancy (TTP), and the likelihoods of clinical pregnancy and live birth, respectively, over one year of follow-up, adjusting for analytical batch, age, education, ethnicity, and parity. We used Bayesian weighted quantile sum (BWQS) regression to assess the associations of the PFAS mixture with fertility outcomes. RESULTS We found a 5-10 % reduction in fecundability per quartile increase of exposure to individual PFAS (FRs [95 % CIs] for clinical pregnancy = 0.90 [0.82, 0.98] for PFDA; 0.88 [0.79, 0.99] for PFOS; 0.95 [0.86, 1.06] for PFOA; 0.92 [0.84, 1.00] for PFHpA). We observed similar decreased odds of clinical pregnancy (ORs [95 % CIs] = 0.74 [0.56, 0.98] for PFDA; 0.76 [0.53, 1.09] for PFOS; 0.83 [0.59, 1.17] for PFOA; 0.92 [0.70, 1.22] for PFHpA) and live birth per quartile increases of individual PFAS and the PFAS mixture (ORs [95 % CIs] = 0.61 [0.37, 1.02] for clinical pregnancy, and 0.66 [0.40, 1.07] for live birth). Within the PFAS mixture, PFDA followed by PFOS, PFOA, and PFHpA were the biggest contributors to these associations. We found no evidence of association for PFHxS, PFNA, and PFHpS and the fertility outcomes examined. CONCLUSIONS Higher PFAS exposures may be associated with decreased fertility in women. The potential impact of ubiquitous PFAS exposures on infertility mechanisms requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Cohen
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Meizhen Yao
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Vishal Midya
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Sandra India-Aldana
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Tomer Mouzica
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Syam S Andra
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Srinivasan Narasimhan
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Anil K Meher
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America
| | - Jerry Kok Yen Chan
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore; Academic Clinical Program in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Shiao-Yng Chan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - See Ling Loy
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore; Academic Clinical Program in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Lidia Minguez-Alarcon
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States of America
| | - Youssef Oulhote
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Huang
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Damaskini Valvi
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States of America.
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Li LJ, Du R, Loy SL, Chong YS, Chan JKY, Wong TY, Eriksson JG, Huang Z, Zhang C. Retinal microvasculature and risk of spontaneous abortion in multiethnic Southeast Asian women. Fertil Steril 2022; 118:748-757. [PMID: 35981917 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To better understand the underlying pathogenesis of spontaneous abortion that affects 10%-20% of recognized pregnancies. We used retinal imaging to study the role of systemic microvasculature and the risk of spontaneous abortion. DESIGN A prospective multiethnic preconception cohort study conducted in Singapore. SETTING Hospital-based. PATIENT(S) A total of 1,032 Southeast Asian women who intended to conceive naturally were screened at study entry, among which 480 women spontaneously conceived within the 12-month observation period. After excluding 24 women who were lost to follow-up, we calculated the spontaneous abortion rate among 456 women. Further, we included 379 women for the final association analysis because 63 women did not undergo preconception retinal imaging examination and 14 had other types of pregnancy loss instead of spontaneous abortion. INTERVENTION(S) Trained photographers performed retinal examination using a 45-degree nonmydriatic retinal camera at study entry during the preconception screening. Using a semiautomated, computer-based program, we assessed quantitative retinal microvascular measurements, including caliber, fractal dimension, curvature tortuosity, and branching angle. Clinical research coordinators collected information on sociodemographic status, menstrual characteristics, and lifestyle, and assessed blood pressure and anthropometry at study entry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) We performed a modified Poisson regression model to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each retinal microvascular feature and its association with spontaneous abortion after adjusting for major confounders such as maternal prepregnancy, body mass index, and previous pregnancy loss history. RESULT(S) We reported a spontaneous abortion rate of 13.4% (61 out of 456). Among all retinal microvascular features, retinal arteriolar caliber, retinal arteriolar, and venular curvature tortuosity were associated with a high risk of incident spontaneous abortion. In the regression model, per SD increase in retinal curvature tortuosity was associated with a 25%-34% increased risk of incident spontaneous abortion (arteriolar: unadjusted RR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.06-1.56] and adjusted RR, 1.26 [1.04-1.53]; venule: unadjusted RR, 1.30 [1.08-1.55] and adjusted RR, 1.34 [1.09-1.64]). CONCLUSION(S) Our prospective cohort observed an increased risk of spontaneous abortion among Asian women with more tortuous retinal vessels assessed during the preconception phase. Our results indicate a role of vascular inflammatory and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of spontaneous abortion. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03531658.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Jun Li
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Ruochen Du
- Biostatics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
| | - See Ling Loy
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yap Seng Chong
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerry Kok Yen Chan
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tien Yin Wong
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Johan G Eriksson
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore
| | - Zhongwei Huang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency of Science, Technology & Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cuilin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Human Potential Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Epidemiology Branch, Division of Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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