APS Sympathetic Regulation in Human Pregnancy

Normal pregnancy is associated with dramatic changes in the pregnant parent’s hemodynamics. These changes can be detected as early as four weeks of gestation and reach a plateau in the second trimester. It has been proposed that parental hemodynamic changes during pregnancy occur through sympathetic neural mechanisms. However, the actual role of the sympathetic nervous system in blood pressure regulation during pregnancies with normal and high blood pressure remains largely unclear. In this webinar, Qi Fu, MD, PhD, reviews longitudinal changes in sympathetic neural control in uncomplicated and hypertensive pregnancy. She also discusses the impact of the pregnant parent’s obesity versus gestational weight gain on sleep apnea risk, sympathetic reactivity and pregnancy outcomes. Learn more and register.

This webinar is part of APS’ Women’s Health: A Physiological Analysis webinar series. Don’t miss the other webinars in this series and learn more about the Women’s Health Research Initiative.