P5.04: Arterial Stiffness and Wave Reflections Decrease During Pregnancy

Objective Studies on changes in arterial stiffness and wave reflections during pregnancy are limited to cross-sectional studies. Our aim was to investigate maternal hemodynamic and cardiovascular adaptations at each trimester of pregnancy in a prospective longitudinal case-control study. Methods Cardiovascular measurements were performed at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation, and included peripheral (Omron M6) and central (Sphygmocor) blood pressures, wave reflection and arterial stiffness measures (Sphygmocor and Esaote AU5 Wall track system). Results 109 healthy women with a normal pregnancy (mean age 29.3y, range 21-42) and 26 healthy non-pregnant control subjects (mean age 28.4y, range 21-40) were included. Except for peripheral and central systolic blood pressure, all cardiovascular parameters showed significant (p