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Commentary on: Increased stiffness of omental arteries from late pregnant women at advanced maternal age
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Commentary on: Increased stiffness of omental arteries from late pregnant women at advanced maternal age

Anna E Stanhewicz, Kelsey S Schwartz and Ruda Lee
Bioscience reports, Vol.43(11), BSR20231291
11/30/2023
DOI: 10.1042/BSR20231291
PMCID: PMC10695740
PMID: 37975423
url
https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20231291View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Worldwide, pregnancy at age 35 or older, termed 'advanced maternal age (AMA)', is increasing exponentially. As the incidence of pregnancy at AMA has increased, a growing body of evidence has suggested that AMA is also associated with increased risk for adverse maternal and fetal outcomes outside of genetic anomalies. Importantly, despite the mounting evidence and the increased global risk of adverse perinatal outcomes observed, few studies have examined the potential mechanisms underlying this elevated risk in pregnant people ≥35 years of age. Wooldridge and colleagues begin to address this gap in the literature. In their recent report, they examine vessel stiffness in omental resistance vessels obtained from pregnant individuals ≥35 years of age compared with pregnant individuals <35 years of age. Omental arteries were isolated and assessed via pressure myography (mechanical properties) and histological analysis for collagen and elastin content. Overall, the findings from this investigation report that maternal resistance arteries collected from women of AMA were less compliant and had less elastin than arteries obtained from women <35 years of age, suggesting that maternal resistance vessel stiffening in AMA may contribute to increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The authors should be commended for completing these studies in human resistance vessels, which now open new avenues for investigation and provoke a cascade of questions related to maternal cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy in women ≥35 years of age.
Aging Cardiovascular Physiology Pregnancy UIOWA OA Agreement

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