Urban-Related Environmental Exposures during Pregnancy and Placental Development and Preeclampsia: A Review
Abstract
Purpose of review To summarize the current knowledge of the pathophysiological implications and the clinical role of urban-related environmental exposures in pregnancy. Recent findings The ongoing urbanization worldwide is leading to an increasing number of pregnant women being exposed to higher levels of urban-related environmental hazards such as air pollution and noise and, at the same time, having less contact with natural environments. Pregnancy represents a particular and vulnerable life period both for women and their children. Extensive physiological and metabolic changes, as well as changes to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems during pregnancy, could result in increased sensitivity to damage by environmental factors. Exposure to air pollution and noise is associated with placental dysfunction and damage, which, in turn, could lead to maternal complications such as preeclampsia. In contrast, more contact with greenspace during pregnancy seems to mitigate these adverse impacts. These findings open up new challenges for our understanding of the potential effect of urban living on placental function and preeclampsia, and offer new clinical and research opportunities.
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Pregnancy-period environmental and dietary exposures are shaped by geography, occupation, housing, and socioeconomic position, and often co-occur with psychosocial stress and constrained access to health-promoting resources.
“Pregnancy-period environmental and dietary exposures are shaped by geography, occupation, housing, and socioeconomic position, and they often co-occur with psychosocial stress and constrained access to health-promoting resources [71,72,73,74].”
From Placental Pathophysiology and Developmental Programming of Adult Cardiometabolic Risk: A Narrative Review of Pregnancy Exposures (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
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Panteris, E., Kakatsaki, I., Koukou, Z., Kolvatzis, C., Papanikolaou, S., & Hatzidaki, E. (2026) · Pathophysiology · doi:10.3390/pathophysiology33030067
- Authors
- Zanini, M. J., Domínguez, C., Fernández-Oliva, T., Sánchez, O., Toda, M. T., Foraster, M., Dadvand, P., & Llurba, E.
- Affiliations
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Llurba, Elisa
- Venue
- Current Hypertension Reports
- Published
- 2020-09-03
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 81-81
- ISSN
- 1522-6417 (ISSN-L)
- 1534-3111
- OpenAlex
- W3082993770
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 0.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Hypertension Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
- Keywords
- pregnancy, preeclampsia, placental development, placental insufficiency, air pollution, noise exposure, green space exposure, urbanization, maternal health
- MeSH terms
- Air Pollutants, Child, Environmental Exposure, Female, Humans, Hypertension, Placentation, Pre-Eclampsia, Pregnancy
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