Submitted by aml95 on Wed, 29/04/2026 - 13:47
A University of Cambridge study led by Dr Grace Amedor and Professor Dino Giussani, an affiliated PI at the IMS-MRL and both based in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, has found that stresses such as systemic racism and socioeconomic disadvantage may sensitise key processes in the body during pregnancy, helping to explain why black women and their babies face significantly higher rates of complication than white women.
These altered physiological processes may lead to higher rates of preeclampsia in black women, and higher rates of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction in black babies, compared to white women and their babies.
In a major review, published today in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, the researchers looked at a range of processes that are vital in the body during pregnancy - including the control of inflammation, and blood flow to the developing fetus. They found these processes are often altered in ways linked to poorer pregnancy outcomes in black women, compared to white women.
You can read the full story on the University of Cambridge Research News website (Jacqueline Garget)
It also featured in The Guardian newspaper and Women’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 (starts 10:17am)
Reference: Amedor, G and Giussani, D A: ‘Physiological mechanisms mediating socio-environmental influences on pregnancy outcomes in black people.’ Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, April 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2026.03.003.
