Details of the five cohorts which have linked antenatal fetal measurements to postnatal outcomes
| Cohort | Country | Years of recruitment | Number recruited | Fetal measurements available | Rationale for recruiting cohort | Inclusion and exclusion criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generation R42 | The Netherlands | 2002–2006 | 9778 mothers and details from 5125 offspring including more detailed assessment in ≤1232 | T1: CRL (used for dating) T2+3: BPD, HC, AC FL, EFW, transverse cerebellar diameter | To identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health from fetal life until young adulthood | Delivery date April 2002–January 2006. Recruitment any time during pregnancy (ideally <18 weeks). Living within Rotterdam area. No exclusion criteria stated |
| Southampton Women's Survey43 | UK | 1998–2002 | 12 579 women (75% of all women approached) of whom 2567 became pregnant and delivered live born infant by 2005 | Weeks 11, 19 and 34: FL, AC | To learn more about the dietary and lifestyle factors that influence the health of women and their children | Women aged 20–34 years recruited between 1998 and 2002. Infant born <37 weeks gestation were excluded |
| Raine Cohort44 | Australia | 1989–1991 | 2876 | Weeks 18, 24, 28, 34 and 38 (in 1415*): AC, HC and FL | To determine whether use of multiple ultrasound assessments improved pregnancy outcomes | Mothers 16–20 weeks pregnant. Fluent in English and expected to deliver in the recruiting hospital |
| SEATON study45 | UK | 1997–1999 | 2000 mothers (of 2690 invited to take part) who delivered 1924 live born singleton infants | T1 CRL, T2 BPD and FL no antenatal T3 measurements | To detect associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and childhood asthma and eczema | Mother 10–12 weeks pregnant. Other exclusion and inclusion criteria not described |
| Project Viva46 http://dacp.org/viva/index.html | USA | 1999–2002 | 2671 mothers (64% of eligible) of whom scan details were used in 772 and of these 438 were followed up at 3 years | T2 (18 weeks) BPD, FL, AC and EFW | To find ways to improve the health of mothers and their children by looking at the effects of mother’s diet as well as other factors during pregnancy and after birth | Mothers recruited after initial clinical prenatal visit (≤22 weeks gestation). Exclusion criteria included multiple pregnancy, not fluent in English |
T1, 2 and 3 are first, second and third trimesters.
*The Raine Cohort was designed to determine whether regular antenatal ultrasounds were associated with higher risk of harm to the fetus; mothers were randomised to have either one or five assessments.
AC, abdominal circumference; BPD, biparietal diameter; CRL, crown rump length; EFW, estimated fetal weight (derived from HC, FL and AC); FL, femur length; HC, head circumference; SEATON, Study of Eczema and Asthma To Observe the influence of Nutrition.