Elucidating the role of the endometrium and Menstruation in predicting pregnancy outcomes

The death of a baby is a devasting outcome of pregnancy. Each year in Australia 2000 babies are stillborn. Current approaches to reduce stillbirth focus predominantly on care at the end of pregnancy, however 85% of stillbirths actually occur in the preterm period. The most common classified causes of these stillbirths are spontaneous preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, or are unexplained with no cause found. It is not fully known what predisposes women to develop these conditions and consequently there is a lack of interventions available. Understanding the causes of preterm birth and FGR, and the identification of other causes of stillbirth is therefore needed if we are to increase the chances of healthy full-term pregnancies. Most research to date focuses on the role of the placenta in stillbirth. The placenta is implicated in up to 65% of stillbirths and leads to the most common causes of stillbirth (preterm birth and FGR). However, the origins of poor placental function are poorly understood. There is evidence that demonstrates that the endometrial environment in which the embryo implants impact the establishment of pregnancy, placental development and is linked with spontaneous preterm birth and FGR however until recently, it has been impossible to non-invasively assess the endometrial environment. In this project you would work alongside leading endometrial biologists, epidemiologists and clinicians to explore the role of the endometrium in adverse pregnancy outcomes and contribute to fundamentally changing our understanding of the origins of abnormal placentation and how this can cause stillbirth.