SWIRL Oxygen
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Stillbirth - When Is Risk Low? Impact of maternal sleep position on stillbirth risk
IRAS ID
362248
Contact name
Ali Alshukry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
We are an established interdisciplinary team of scientists from Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Universities. Our group includes obstetricians, engineers, mathematicians, MRI physicists, and computer scientists who work collaboratively to investigate placental causes of stillbirth, funded by a $5M Wellcome Leap grant. This is a new project aimed at investigating the impact of maternal position on stillbirth risk, an important unmet clinical need.
It is well known that sleeping supine (on your back) has drawbacks for both mother and fetus; in particular, fetal hypoxia (reduced oxygen supply) caused by reduced placental perfusion linked to lying in this position, is associated with an elevated stillbirth risk. Advice on sleeping position is routinely given clinically; however, the specific influence on placental perfusion is not known, nor the timescale over which reduced perfusion is likely to be dangerous for the developing fetus. Moreover, sleep position is not always able to be controlled.
The aim of this project is to determine how quickly lying supine impacts on placental perfusion. This will be done using MRI in women lying in left lateral and then a supine position. Additionally, we want to determine whether it is possible to accurately measure placental oxygenation with a commercially available deep tissue oxygenation monitor which uses Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (MOORVMS NIRS).
This proof of concept work would be the basis for designing a portable non-invasive device for ambulatory fetal monitoring which could alert women when placental perfusion is impaired. This intervention has the potential to reduce late stillbirth by intentionally correcting women’s sleeping position and giving them some feedback on its potential impact.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0362
Date of REC Opinion
23 Dec 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion