From September 7–10, 2025, the 13th World Congress of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Siyu Zhou, a PhD researcher in the ABCD study team, presented findings from the cohort in both an oral presentation and a poster session.
The oral presentation, titled “Maternal Clustered Cardiometabolic Risk in Pregnancy and Dysmenorrhea in Offspring: Results from the ABCD Study,” received an honorable mention. As part of this recognition, Siyu received a signed copy of Life Before Birth: The Challenges of Fetal Development by Professor Peter Nathanielsz.
The research explored whether a mother’s health during pregnancy is linked to menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) in her daughters. The study focused on clustered cardiometabolic risk (a combination of health risks such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and being overweight). The results showed that this combination of risks was not related to menstrual pain, but a higher maternal BMI before pregnancy was associated with a greater chance of menstrual pain in daughters. This seems to be explained by daughters having a higher BMI in early puberty and starting menstruation at a younger age.
Siyu also presented a poster on: “Association between Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI, Offspring Growth and Pubertal Timing.”
This work contributes to a better understanding of how conditions during pregnancy can influence health later in life.