OZR backup mandate: Pre-eclampsia following assisted reproductive technology: preconceptional maternal risk factors and the endometrium as potential targets in the search for prevention strategies

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-related multisystemic syndrome with a high morbidity/mortality for mother and child for which no cure but (premature) delivery is available. Following assisted reproductive technologies (ART), the incidence of PE is more than doubled and goes up to 12%. It is unclear which risk factors are associated with PE following ART or whether PE etiopathogenesis is diverse among different subtypes of ART patients.
We will perform first trimester PE screening in high-risk groups post ART, more specifically in oocyte recipients and patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. For the first time ever, PE screening
within the specific post-ART context will be explored. The ART setting offers a unique opportunity to extensively collect clinical, biochemical and ultrasonographic patient data prior to pregnancy. This will allow the identification of preconceptional maternal characteristics associated with increased PE risk in ART patients. Also, the role of
the endometrium in PE development will be investigated by studying preconceptionally harvested endometrial tissue, stromal cells and organoids and this in function of the PE risk as determined by screening, the actual PE incidence and the different high-risk ART groups.
The overarching goal of the project is to individualize prenatal care following ART and to determine potential targets for new PE prevention options decreasing the morbidity and mortality caused by this devastating pathology.