Substudy 2

POP/PFC levels in early pregnancy, waiting time to pregnancy (TTP), fetal growth and infant growth and development.

Design:
In substudy 2, PFC levels will be measured in samples from 1600 nulliparous women recruited 2008-2015 overlapping with the mother samples (2011-2014) analyses within substudy 1. Substudy 2 include four studies:
2a) Time to pregnancy (TTP) in 1163 planned pregnancies (recruited 2008-2014) to investigate the association between PFC serum levels in early pregnancy and waiting TTP. Information about TTP will be obtained by self administered, structured questionnaire. TTP across different levels of PFCs will be compared while adjusting for potential confounding factors.
2b) Fetal Growth (FG): In 1550 nulliparous women (recruited 2008-2014) the association between PFC levels in early pregnancy and fetal growth (birth weight, length, and head circumference) as well as gestational age at birth will be studied.
2c) Infant growth (IG): One year after birth, information on duration of breastfeeding, infant weight and length at 5 and 12 month and developmental milestones will be collected by structured questionnaires for 1350 children born by mothers recruited 2008-2013. Information from questionnaire will be used to estimate the association between PFC levels in early pregnancy and infant growth while accounting for a variety of other factors including duration of breast feeding. PFC cord blood measurements (200; 50/year, 2011-2014) will explore the mother-child PFC ratio.
2d) All potential interactions of toxicological biomarkers described in substudy 1 will be investigated as exposure in substudy 2.

Scientific team:
Responsible leader
Professor Tine Brink Henriksen, The Aarhus Birth Cohort Biobank, Perinatal Epidemiology Research unit, Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby
Associates
Associated Professor Bodil Hammer Bech, Unit of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University
Associated Professor Ellen Aagaard Nøhr, Unit of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University
Professor, director Eva C. Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Centre of Arctic Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University
PhD EpiTox student
Subcontractors
Senior Scientist Rossana Bossi, National Environmental Research Institute (NERI), Department of Atmospheric Environment, Aarhus University
Senior Scientist Gert Asmund, National Environmental Research Institute (NERI), Department of Arctic Environment, Aarhus University