Pregnancy is an important time in a woman's life, especially for heart health. During the nine months of pregnancy, a woman's cardiovascular system changes greatly. These changes can unmask weaknesses that could later lead to cardiovascular disease in a woman's life. In fact, problems in pregnancy -such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes-have been identified by the American Heart Association as risk factors as strong as smoking for the future development of heart disease.
Assistant professor, Dr. Margie Davenport's research aims to understand how risk factors identified during pregnancy can be modified by increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours throughout pregnancy.
"Women who develop high blood pressure when they are pregnant have immediate problems with their arteries. They also are more likely to have future cardiovascular problems," explains Davenport. "This long-term risk is believed to be partially caused by their vascular system adapting poorly to the demands of being pregnant. However, we don't know how or why this happens."
Through her work with the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health -a research program created by Margie at the University of Alberta- Dr. Davenport and her lab of graduate and undergraduate students are looking at the role exercise during pregnancy has on improving cardiovascular health both during and after pregnancy. This research is something that Dr. Davenport says is critically needed.
"We need to understand how the vascular system changes in healthy pregnancies and in pregnancies. If we understand those differences, we can develop effective strategies to improve cardiovascular health during pregnancy. We could prevent problems such as high blood pressure during pregnancy and prevent future cardiovascular disease for pregnant women."
The Heart & Stroke Foundation understands the importance of Dr. Davenport's research and recently announced that her project will receive an Advancing Women's Heart Health research award.
"When it comes to heart disease and stroke, women are under-studied, under-diagnosed, and under-treated," explains Donna Hastings, Heart & CEO in Alberta. "We are proud to support Dr. Davenport's research through our Advancing Women's Heart Health research initiative. This funding is part of Heart & Stroke's commitment, with the federal government, to invest in research focused on women's heart health - giving Canadian women longer, more fulfilling lives."
"This grant is life-changing for me as a young investigator," says Davenport. "I can now spend more time pursuing my research on a very high level."
Dr. Davenport's research outcomes enable the development of effective ways to increase physical activity/decrease sedentary behaviour for better heart health during and after pregnancy.