Parity modulates impact of BMI and gestational weight gain on gut microbiota in human pregnancy
Katherine M. Kennedy,
Andreas Plagemann,
Julia Sommer,
Marie Hofmann,
Wolfgang Henrich,
Jon F.R. Barrett,
Michael G. Surette,
Stephanie Atkinson,
Thorsten Braun,
Deborah M. Sloboda
Affiliations
Katherine M. Kennedy
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Andreas Plagemann
Department of Obstetrics and Department of ‘Experimental Obstetrics’, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Julia Sommer
Department of Obstetrics and Department of ‘Experimental Obstetrics’, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Marie Hofmann
Department of Obstetrics and Department of ‘Experimental Obstetrics’, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Henrich
Department of Obstetrics and Department of ‘Experimental Obstetrics’, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Jon F.R. Barrett
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Michael G. Surette
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Stephanie Atkinson
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Thorsten Braun
Department of Obstetrics and Department of ‘Experimental Obstetrics’, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Deborah M. Sloboda
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
ABSTRACTDysregulation of maternal adaptations to pregnancy due to high pre-pregnancy BMI (pBMI) or excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with worsened health outcomes for mothers and children. Whether the gut microbiome contributes to these adaptations is unclear. We longitudinally investigated the impact of pBMI and GWG on the pregnant gut microbiome. We show that the gut microbiota of participants with higher pBMI changed less over the course of pregnancy in primiparous but not multiparous participants. This suggests that previous pregnancies may have persistent impacts on maternal adaptations to pregnancy. This ecological memory appears to be passed on to the next generation, as parity modulated the impact of maternal GWG on the infant gut microbiome. This work supports a role of the gut microbiome in maternal adaptations to pregnancy and highlights the need for longitudinal sampling and accounting for parity as key considerations for studies of the microbiome in pregnancy and infants. Understanding how these factors contribute to and shape maternal health is essential for the development of interventions impacting the microbiome, including pre/probiotics.
