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Objective

Examine the relationship between parturition and maternal inflammation, metabolome, proteome, vaginal microbiome, and mechanobiological changes in the cervix during pregnancy.

Study Design

Pregnant women were recruited from the University of California, San Francisco Hospital. Urine and cervical fluid were collected up to 15 time points, while blood samples were collected at three time points during pregnancy. Deep molecular profiling was performed at the multi-omics level, including immune panels, metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics, and vaginal microbiome. During the same visits that the samples were collected for the multi-omics studies, a unique device called the Smart Diaphragm was used to measure fluorescence and electrical impedance of the cervical tissue.

Results

Of the 36 women who completed the study, 34 women had a delivery> 37 weeks. A total of 87 blood samples, 327 …