Pregnancy as a “stress test for life” – A Longitudinal Extension of the STORK Cohort
The STORK project is a prospective cohort study following 1031 pregnant Norwegian women from week 12-14 until the first week post-partum, included at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet. The participants (300 women) have been have been re-evaluated 5 years post-partum.
Investigating early development and mechanisms of gestational diabetes mellitus associated with later metabolic complications and cardiovascular disease may gain important information about women’s later health and increase chances to prevent further progression of these diseases.
To reach our goals we perform translational research, using our well-defined clinical cohort investigating blood samples, placenta biopsies and performing in-vitro studies exploring mechanistic functions and regulations.
News from 2025:
We found markers of vascular oxidative stress and senescence increased and correlated with indices of glucose and lipid metabolism early in pregnancy in women developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Cellular markers reflecting attenuated defense against oxidative stress and senescence decrease throughout pregnancy and at 5-year follow-up and correlated with aortic stiffness in women with previous GDM.
Publications 2024:
Lekva T, Roland MCP, Qvigstad E, Khan Y, Godang K, Michelsen AE, Ueland T.
Oxidative stress, senescence and mRNA decay in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of women with gestational diabetes mellitus-link to increased cardiovascular disease risk. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2025;27(9):4802–11