Cadmium Exposure During Pregnancy and Fetal Growth

NCT07855237 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: PI2026_843_0075
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal naturally present in the environment, whose human exposure has increased over recent decades due to diffuse anthropogenic contamination, particularly related to industrial activities and the use of mineral phosphate fertilizers in agriculture. Cadmium is characterized by its bioaccumulative properties and well-established toxicity, including renal and bone damage and carcinogenic effects. In pregnant women, several animal and human cohort studies have shown that cadmium can cross the placental barrier and accumulate in placental tissue. Placental cadmium exposure has been associated with impaired placental function and adverse perinatal outcomes, including fetal growth restriction and increased neonatal morbidity. In the general population without occupational exposure, diet represents the main source of cadmium exposure, apart from tobacco smoking. Fetal growth, commonly assessed through birth weight adjusted for gestational age, is a major determinant of neonatal and long-term health outcomes. This monocentric prospective pilot study aims to assess fetal exposure to cadmium during pregnancy using placental cadmium concentration as a biomarker. Placental samples will be collected at delivery from women giving birth at Amiens University Hospital, and cadmium levels will be measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The association between placental cadmium concentration and fetal growth will be explored. Fetal growth will be evaluated using birth weight adjusted for gestational age, expressed as a standardized z-score. Maternal urinary and blood cadmium concentrations will also be measured to characterize maternal exposure and explore correlations between biological matrices. Placental efficiency, defined as the fetal-to-placental weight ratio, will be assessed as an indicator of placental function. The results of this pilot study will provide preliminary data to inform future larger-scale epidemiological and mechanistic studies on prenatal cadmium exposure and pregnancy outcomes.

Conditions

Cadmium; Placenta; Fetal Growth; Birth Weight; Environmental Exposure; Biomonitoring

Keywords

biomonitoring; environmental exposure; birth weight; fetal growth; Placenta; Cadmium

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• association between placental cadmium levels and fetal growth

  investigate the association between placental cadmium levels and fetal growth.

  at 2 months

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Association between maternal urinary cadmium concentration and fetal growth

  at 2 months

• Association between maternal blood cadmium concentration and fetal growth

  at 2 months

• Association between placental cadmium concentration and placental efficiency

  at 2 months

• Association between maternal dietary patterns and estimated dietary cadmium intake and cadmium concentrations measured in placental tissue

  at 2 months

Interventions

maternal blood samples OTHER

maternal blood samples are collected at admission for delivery as part of standard obstetric care.

Placental tissue samples OTHER

Placental tissue samples are collected at delivery,

maternal urine samples OTHER

maternal urine samples are obtained during routine prenatal visits,

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: gestational mother
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Women delivering at term or preterm who are patients at Amiens University Hospital,

You may qualify if:

• Pregnant women aged 18 years or older
• Singleton pregnancy
• Planned delivery at the maternity unit of Amiens University Hospital (CHU Amiens)
• Ability to receive study information and provide informed non-opposition/consent according to French regulations for non-interventional research

You may not qualify if:

• Women under legal protection measures, including guardianship, curatorship, or judicial safeguard
• Inability to understand the study objectives or the constraints of the protocol (language barrier, cognitive impairment, or other reasons)
• Lack of affiliation to a social security system, as required by French regulations

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens: lead

Study Sites (1)

CHU Amiens Picardie

Amiens, France

RECRUITING

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITHOUT DNA

blood sample

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Birth Weight

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Rosalie CABRY, Pr

CONTACT

33+3 22 08 73 70; cabry.rosalie@chu-amiens.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 2 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2026
• First Posted: October 2, 2026
• Study Start: September 21, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: October 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)