Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
Fundus Photography as a Convenient Tool to Study Microvascular Responses to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Epidemiological Studies
Published on: October 22, 2014
Maternal vomiting during early pregnancy and cardiovascular risk factors at school age: the Generation R Study
Sunayna Poeran-Bahadoer1,2, Vincent W V Jaddoe1,2,3, Olta Gishti1,2
1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Insights
Maternal daily vomiting in early pregnancy is linked to increased childhood body fat, including abdominal fat. This study did not find associations with blood pressure or lipid levels in children.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Pediatric Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Maternal undernutrition and low birth weight are linked to adult cardiovascular disease.
- Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) involves severe nausea and vomiting, impacting maternal nutrition and increasing risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- The long-term effects of HG on offspring cardiovascular health are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal daily vomiting during early pregnancy and childhood cardiovascular risk factors.
- To assess the impact of a specific hyperemesis gravidarum symptom on offspring's long-term health.
Main Methods:
- A population-based prospective cohort study involving 4,769 mothers and children in the Netherlands.
- Measurement of childhood cardiovascular risk factors including body mass index, fat mass, blood pressure, lipids, and insulin levels.
- Multiple regression analyses were used to examine associations between maternal vomiting and childhood outcomes.
Main Results:
- Children of mothers experiencing daily vomiting in early pregnancy showed higher total body fat mass (0.12 SDS difference).
- Increased android/gynoid fat mass ratio (0.13 SDS difference) and preperitoneal fat mass area (0.10 SDS difference) were observed in these children.
- No significant associations were found between maternal daily vomiting and childhood blood pressure, lipid levels, or insulin levels.
Conclusions:
- Maternal daily vomiting during early pregnancy is associated with elevated childhood total and abdominal fat mass.
- The observed associations were partly explained by higher infant growth, not birth characteristics.
- Further research is necessary to confirm these findings, elucidate mechanisms, and evaluate long-term health consequences.
Background:
Evidence suggests that low birth weight and fetal exposure to extreme maternal undernutrition is associated with cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Hyperemesis gravidarum, a clinical entity characterized by severe nausea and excess vomiting leading to a suboptimal maternal nutritional status during early pregnancy, is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Several studies also showed that different measures related to hyperemesis gravidarum, such as maternal daily vomiting or severe weight loss, are associated with increased risks of adverse fetal pregnancy outcomes. Not much is known about long-term offspring consequences of maternal hyperemesis gravidarum and related measures during pregnancy. We examined the associations of maternal daily vomiting during early pregnancy, as a measure related to hyperemesis gravidarum, with childhood cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods:
In a population-based prospective cohort study from early pregnancy onwards among 4,769 mothers and their children in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, we measured childhood body mass index, total fat mass percentage, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, preperitoneal fat mass area, blood pressure, lipids, and insulin levels. We used multiple regression analyses to assess the associations of maternal vomiting during early pregnancy with childhood cardiovascular outcomes.
Results:
Compared with the children of mothers without daily vomiting during early pregnancy, the children of mothers with daily vomiting during early pregnancy had a higher childhood total body fat mass (difference 0.12 standard deviation score [SDS]; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.20), android/gynoid fat mass ratio (difference 0.13 SDS; 95% CI 0.04-0.23), and preperitoneal fat mass area (difference 0.10 SDS; 95% CI 0-0.20). These associations were not explained by birth characteristics but partly explained by higher infant growth. Maternal daily vomiting during early pregnancy was not associated with childhood blood pressure, lipids, and insulin levels.
Conclusions:
Maternal daily vomiting during early pregnancy is associated with higher childhood total body fat mass and abdominal fat mass levels, but not with other cardiovascular risk factors. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings, to explore the underlying mechanisms and to assess the long-term consequences.
Related Concept Videos
10:11Fundus Photography as a Convenient Tool to Study Microvascular Responses to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Epidemiological Studies
06:55Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
09:17Generation of Maternal Mutants Using zpc:cas9 Knock-in Zebrafish
05:33Ear Plaster Therapy as a Safe and Effective Treatment for Gestational Vomiting
13:00Intranasal Immunization and Milk Collection in Studies of Maternal Immunization in New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
01:26Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...