Participants Needed - Women's Heart Center Study
for women who have given birth in the last 2 - 10 years
Did you know that women who have been diagnosed with preeclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy are at a higher risk of developing heart disease later in life?
The Christ Hospital Women’s Heart Center is conducting a research study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to better understand how hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, affect the heart later in life.
Women who have had either a normal, healthy pregnancy or were diagnosed with preeclampsia during pregnancy may be eligible to participate.
You may be eligible to participate in this study, if:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You have given birth in the past 2 -10 years
You will not be able to participate if: you are currently pregnant or breastfeeding, had multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), given birth 3 times or more, are obese, have high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, asthma, COPD, or are not able to have an MRI.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please call 513-457-6765 or fill out the form below and a member of our team will contact you:
What will happen in the study?
Participants will complete one 4-hour study visit to The Christ Hospital in Mt. Auburn and will receive a free cardiac MRI and $200 in compensation. Participants will also be invited to complete a brief annual follow-up health questionnaire.
If you consent and agree to participate, the study team will ask questions about your medical history and review your medical record. Other study procedures include:
- Collection of blood and urine samples to check for pregnancy, kidney function and to measure biomarkers of heart function. Samples will also be stored for future research
- Non-invasive tests to measure blood pressure and look at blood vessel function
- An electrocardiogram (often referred to as an ECG or EKG)
- Magnetic resonance imaging of your heart (also called a cardiac MRI) with contrast
What can result from this research?
As a participant in the Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Study, you can positively impact the health of other moms, as well as your own. We hope that the information learned from this study will help those diagnosed with preeclampsia in the future as we better understand the effects of these conditions on the heart later in life.
It is also possible that the study procedures could identify a medical condition that you were not aware of. Findings that could impact your clinical care will be shared with your primary care physician for further evaluation.
All possible risks will be discussed with you if you are interested in learning more about the study.
