Current Studies at Motherisk: Control of Hypertension in Pregnancy Study

Almost 10% of pregnancies are complicated by high blood pressure (hypertension). Experts agree that blood pressure medication should be given to pregnant women with severe hypertension to protect them from stroke. However, for pregnant women with mild to moderate hypertension, it is not known whether blood pressure medication benefits mothers or babies, and treating blood pressure may cause poorer growth of the baby. Canadian obstetricians are divided on how to treat hypertension.

The Control of Hypertension In Pregnancy Study (CHIPS) will determine whether allowing the mother's blood pressure to be higher than normal during pregnancy, results in better growth of the baby before birth and health of the baby after birth, than does normalizing blood pressure by prescribing blood pressure medication.

But first the CHIPS Pilot Trial will determine if such a large and complicated trial as CHIPS is do-able. Women with mild to moderate hypertension, who are between 20 and 34 weeks' pregnant, and are carrying a live baby(ies) will be eligible to participate. Women will not be eligible if they have severe hypertension, proteinuria, are likely to deliver in the next week, and/or are carrying a baby(ies) with a serious abnormality. This pilot trial requires 132 women who are 20-33 weeks pregnant with mild to moderate hypertension. The research team will also learn about the views of the women who participate in the pilot study.

CHIPS is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and coordinated at the Maternal Infant Reproductive Health Research Unit at the University of Toronto Centre for Research in Women's Health. To find out more visit CHIPS' website or contact one of the CHIPS research sites:

• Mount Sinai (after September 15, 2003): Dr Shital Gandhi at (416) 586-4857 or Susan Doran at (416) 664-7013, or
• Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, Women's College Ambulatory Care Centre: Dr Wee-Shian Chan at (416) 323-6272 or Myriel Quilacio at (416) 323-7306.