Low‐dose aspirin, maternal cardiometabolic health, and offspring respiratory health 9 to 14 years after delivery: Findings from the EAGeR Follow‐up Study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundAccumulating evidence shows that peri‐conceptional and in‐utero exposures have lifetime health impacts for mothers and their offspring.ObjectivesWe conducted a Follow‐Up Study of the Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction (EAGeR) trial with two objectives. First, we determined if women who enrolled at the Utah site (N = 1001) of the EAGeR trial (2007–2011, N = 1228) could successfully be contacted and agree to complete an online questionnaire on their reproductive, cardio‐metabolic, and offspring respiratory health 9–14 years after original enrollment. Second, we evaluated if maternal exposure to low‐dose aspirin (LDA) during pregnancy was associated with maternal cardio‐metabolic health and offspring respiratory health.MethodsThe original EAGeR study population included women, 18–40 years of age, who had 1–2 prior pregnancy losses, and who were trying to become pregnant. At follow‐up (2020–2021), participants from the Utah cohort completed a 13‐item online questionnaire on reproductive and cardio‐metabolic health, and those who had a live birth during EAGeR additionally completed a 7‐item questionnaire on the index child's respiratory health. Primary maternal outcomes included hypertension and hypercholesterolemia; primary offspring outcomes included wheezing and asthma.ResultsSixty‐eight percent (n = 678) of participants enrolled in the follow‐up study, with 10% and 15% reporting maternal hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, respectively; and 18% and 10% reporting offspring wheezing and asthma. We found no association between maternal LDA exposure and hypertension (risk difference [RD] −0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.05, 0.04) or hypercholesterolemia (RD −0.01, 95% CI −0.06, 0.05) at 9–14 years follow‐up. Maternal LDA exposure was not associated with offspring wheezing (RD −0.002, 95% CI −0.08, 0.08) or asthma (RD 0.13, 95% CI 0.11, 0.37) at follow‐up. Findings remained robust after considering potential confounding and selection bias.ConclusionsWe observed no association between LDA exposure during pregnancy and maternal cardiometabolic or offspring respiratory health.