PregHeart

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  PREG-HEART: PREGnancy, HEART Health and Cardiovascular Disease Longitudinal Study

• IRAS ID

  349694

• Contact name

  Upasana Tayal

• Contact email

  u.tayal@rbht.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Imperial College London

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 11 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  Heart disease is a leading cause of death among pregnant women in the UK. It also has a major impact on the health of unborn babies and newborns. Despite its serious consequences, there has been no improvement in outcomes for these women over the past few decades. In fact, the UK continues to fall behind other wealthy countries in tackling this issue.
  There is still much we do not know about how to care for pregnant women with heart disease. Key questions remain unanswered, such as how heart conditions affect pregnancy, how pregnancy influences a woman’s long-term heart health, and where improvements in care can be made. Historically, women who wanted to take part in research to help answer these questions faced many barriers. Often, only those treated at large specialist hospitals could participate, making it harder to gather the large amount of information needed to improve care for all.
  Thanks to advances in technology, it is now much easier to connect with women across the UK. We can invite women to participate in research remotely, using their computers or smartphones, without the need for travel. This makes research more accessible to everyone, no matter where they live.
  We are planning to create a national online registry for pregnant women with heart disease through the Heart Hive website (thehearthive.org). This registry will allow women to share important information about their heart health and pregnancy experiences. It will support research to improve care, find gaps in current medical approaches, and ultimately ensure better outcomes for mothers and babies. By making research more inclusive and accessible, this registry will help us take a big step forward in understanding and addressing maternal heart health.
  

• REC name

  West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/WM/0142

• Date of REC Opinion

  13 Oct 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion