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Changes in retinal layer thickness during and after pregnancy in a healthy Caucasian cohort
Moritz Fabian Danzer1, Caren Schmidt2, Charlotte Egbring2
1Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany.
Purpose:
Structural retinal changes have been reported in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant controls, yet longitudinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) data across pregnancy and postpartum are limited. This prospective study quantifies retinal OCT metrics in healthy pregnancies, delineating their temporal evolution before and after childbirth.
Methods:
Spectral-domain OCT measurements were performed longitudinally in healthy pregnant women at predefined time points before and after childbirth. Changes in retinal layer thickness were quantified, including total (ILM-BrM), inner (ILM-IPL, NFL-IPL), middle (IPL-OPL) and outer (OPL-BrM) retinal thickness. Additional analyses of layer-specific subsectors were conducted to more precisely delineate regional variations. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models.
Results:
52 eyes of 26 healthy pregnant women were included. Retinal layer thickness remained stable throughout the prepartum period. After childbirth, significant increases were observed in total retinal thickness (ILM-BrM), the inner retina (ILM-IPL, NFL-IPL) and outer retina (OPL-BrM) (all p ≤ 0.05), whereas no significant changes were detected in the middle retinal layers (IPL-OPL). Thickening in the outer retina was less homogeneous than in the inner retina.
Conclusion:
This trial indicates layer-specific structural retinal adaptations after childbirth, with more pronounced thickening observed in the vascularized inner retinal layers compared with other retinal compartments.
