Maternal Abdominal Morphology Assessment

Overview

Previous studies have shown that pancreas size tends to be smaller in individuals with diabetes compared to those without diabetes. The investigators have recently found that pancreas size increases during pregnancy. The MAMA study aims to examine changes in the pancreas that occur during pregnancy, in both pregnant mothers and their babies, and find out how they are affected by maternal diabetes. The MAMA study is a prospective cohort study that will follow women and their babies through pregnancy and one year postpartum. Women aged 18-54, who are under 14 weeks pregnant are being recruited to participate in the MAMA study.

As pancreas size is thought to reflect pancreatic insulin production and/or islet mass, monitoring pancreas size during and after pregnancy may advance the investigators' understanding of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) incidence and progression. Information on pancreas size changes during pregnancy, typical fetal pancreatic development, the relationship between pancreas size and GDM risk, and the relationship between pancreas size and neonatal hypoglycemia are largely unknown. Through this project, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be used to measure changes in pancreas size during pregnancy and the effect of maternal diabetes on these measures. This prospective cohort study is observational and will include up to 87 pregnant women who are between 18-54 years old. Study visits will take place at approximately 15-18 weeks gestation, 24-28 weeks gestation, 34-38 weeks gestation, and 1 year-1 year and 2 months postpartum. At each study visit, participants will self-report their height and weight, have their blood pressure measured, have their blood drawn, have an HbA1c finger stick test, participate in oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT), complete an MRI scan, and undergo continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Conditions