The Pittsburgh Girls Study
HOP
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of ill-health among Black American women and is also associated with pregnancy complications and experiences of early and chronic stress. However, individual differences in CVD risk trajectories and biological pathways that span the peripartum period among Black women remain poorly understood. Research is needed to understand the extent to which pregnancy unmasks preexisting risk or elicits new CVD risk so that optimal interventions can be designed and delivered in a timely manner to reduce maternal health disparities.
In 2020, we launched the ‘Health Over the Peripartum period' (HOP) study. PGS-HOP investigates changes in heart health before, during and after pregnancy among Black American women, and also how these changes may be affected by stress and diet. PGS participants who identify as Black, and who have also participated in the PGS-ECHO study, are eligible to participate in PGS-HOP. Our goal is to recruit about 400 women from the PGS before the study ends in 2025. Participants complete a health interview and blood sample before and during pregnancy and also at four postpartum visits: 2, 6, 15 and 24 months.
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The PGS-HOP study is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL157787).