Absent or Excessive Corpus Luteum Number Is Associated With Altered Maternal Vascular Health in Early Pregnancy
Frauke von Versen-Höynck, Purnima Narasimhan, Elif Seda Selamet Tierney, Nadine Martinez, Kirk P Conrad, Valerie L Baker, Virginia D Winn, Frauke von Versen-Höynck, Purnima Narasimhan, Elif Seda Selamet Tierney, Nadine Martinez, Kirk P Conrad, Valerie L Baker, Virginia D Winn
Abstract
Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to preeclampsia risk associated with assisted reproduction can improve maternal health. Vascular dysfunction predates clinical presentation of preeclampsia. Therefore, we examined if a nonphysiological hormonal milieu, a modifiable state, affects maternal vascular health in early pregnancy. Blood pressure, endothelial function, circulating endothelial progenitor cell numbers, lipid levels, and corpus luteum (CL) hormones were compared in a prospective cohort of women with infertility history based on number of CL: 0 CL (programmed frozen embryo transfer [FET], N=18); 1 CL (spontaneous conception [N=16] and natural cycle FET [N=12]); or >3 CL associated with in vitro fertilization [N=11]. Women with 0 or >3 CL lacked the drop in mean arterial blood pressure compared with those with 1 CL (both P=0.05). Reactive hyperemia index was impaired in women with 0 CL compared with 1 CL ( P=0.04) while baseline pulse wave amplitude was higher with > 3 CL compared with 1 CL ( P=0.01) or 0 CL ( P=0.01). Comparing only FET cycles, a lower reactive hyperemia index and a higher augmentation index is noted in FETs with suppressed CL compared with FETs in a natural cycle (both P=0.03). The number of angiogenic and nonangiogenic circulating endothelial progenitor cell numbers was lower in the absence of a CL in FETs ( P=0.01 and P=0.03). Vascular health in early pregnancy is altered in women with aberrant numbers of CL (0 or >3) and might represent insufficient cardiovascular adaptation contributing to an increased risk of preeclampsia.
Keywords: corpus luteum; endothelial progenitor cells; infertility; pregnancy; vascular endothelium.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of Interest/Disclosures
KPC discloses use patents for relaxin. All other authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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Source: PubMed