Clinical Obstetrics

blodtryck som tas på gravid kvinna

The research group "Clinical Obstetrics" has as an overall aim to improve the health of pregnant women and new-born children through research. In Sweden, 120,000 children are born annually, of which around 4200 are born at Akademiska sjukhuset in Uppsala. We are studying pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, growth retardation and gestational diabetes, as well as complications affecting the newborn infant by usage of national health and quality registers, local databases and clinical studies. We also study complications related to childbirth and are following up children depending on perinatal exposures.

The research group consists of two professors (one obstetrician and one midwife), one is a senior lecturer (docent), and several postdocs and PhD students. We have well-developed cooperations with the Uppsala-Örebro region, particularly with Örebro and Falun. Further, we have several research collaborations with other research groups at Uppsala university, as well as with other universities in Sweden and other countries. The research methodologies include register-based studies and clinical studies, but also laboratory-based research. We are partners in several national randomized trials in maternal health care and childbirth.

In collaboration with other research groups within the Department of Women's and Children's Health, a biobank with blood samples from pregnancy has been established from over 14,000 women. The Biobank is available after approved application to the steering group (Uppsala Biobank for Pregnant Women).

There is also a clinical-epidemiological database that includes detailed information on 50,000 children born at the Academic Hospital, where the children are followed up to the age of 5 years. The database is available after approved application to the steering group (Uppsala Mor-Barn-kohort, contact person Anna-Karin.Wikstrom@uu.se).

In a longitudinal study, approximately 3,400 women answered questionnaires on three occasions: when enrolling into maternal health care, during pregnancy weeks 34-36, and 12 months after giving birth. The rationale for this study is the lack of knowledge on pregnancy planning, lifestyle and health in connection with pregnancy in the Swedish population. Linking to the medical birth register and the patient register is planned. The database is available after approved application to the steering group (contact person Maria.Jonsson@uu.se).

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