Population and Registry Studies at EDMaRC
Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in normal human growth and reproduction is fundamental for understanding the role of pathophysiological changes involved in e.g. differences in sex development (DSD), abnormal growth patterns and timing of puberty, reproductive diseases and infertility; irrespectively of whether genetic or environmental factors are at play.
In EDMaRC (at Dept. of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet) we have a long tradition of conducting population studies of healthy children, adolescents, pregnant women, and young men to establish normal ranges for biomarkers related to reproductive development, maturation and function, to examine the impact of genetic and/or environmental factors, and to monitor trends in e.g. timing of puberty or reproductive health over time. These studies of the general population are an important complement to studies in our patients at Dept. of Growth and Reproduction.
In EDMaRC we also conduct registry studies taking advantage of the possibility to merge personal data from a range of Danish medical and social registries by use of the unique CPR-number all Danish citizens have.
Ongoing Population Studies
The Copenhagen Puberty Study III - COPUS
In COPUS we aim to recruit a normal population of 3000 school children aged 5-19 years in order to describe changes growth and pubertal development among normal children and adolescents. For more details on the study see here
ReproUnion Biobank and Infertility cohort - RUBIC
ReproUnion Biobank and Infertility Cohort (RUBIC) is a cohort including infertile couples in the Sound Region with thorough characterization of both the female and male part including clinical examinations, biobanking and questionnaires. RUBIC has been initiated to examine the causes and underlying mechanisms of infertility, improve reproductive outcomes for women and men, and ultimately provide the scientific foundation to facilitate successful pregnancies leading to live births of healthy children. Reaching beyond reproduction, our additional ambition is to promote current and long-term health and quality of life among infertile women and men. For more details on EDMaRC's role RUBIC see here.
The Copenhagen Analgesic Study - COPANA
In COPANA a pregnant women-infant cohort is established, with recruitment of pregnant women at the first contact at a prenatal clinic. The main focus is on effects of use of analgesics and other medicins during pregnancy on the development of the gonades of the embryo. Impact of endocrine disrupting chemcials will also be studied. For more details on the study see here.
Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Risk of Testicular Cancer (DISRUPT)
In DISRUPT we take take advantage of access to Danish nationwide health registries and a unique collection of maternal biosamples collected during the index pregnancy 22-42 years ago to investigate the prospective association between prenatal exposures to target EDCs and the risk of testicular cancer in male offspring, exploring both individual compound exposures and cocktail effects. For more details on DISRUPT see here
From fetus to fatherhood: the role of endocrine disrupting compounds
The overall aim of the project is to determine the impact of exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals occurring prenatally and in young adulthood on testicular function and later fertility. For more details see here.
Ongoing Register Studies
Maternal metformin intake during pregnancy and the risk of adverse birth outcomes - a registry study
A National Registry Project linking several registries in order to study the impact of maternal metformin exposure during pregnancy on several adverse pregnancy outcomes and congenital malformations in the offspring. Read more about the project here.
The Danish Semen Quality Database Study - DaSe
The DaSe study
utilizes semen quality data from almost 80,000 men linked with health data from
the National registers to explore the association between semen quality and
general health. Read more about the project here.
Health prior to and after a diagnosis of precocious puberty
Using Danish registries recognized for their validity and completeness we will investigate health prior to and following a diagnosis of precocious puberty. To read more about the project see here.
Morbidity and Mortality in Males Diagnosed with Gynecomastia
Using Danish registries recognized for their validity and completeness, we aim to assess men's health prior to and following a diagnosis of gynecomastia and male mortality rates following a diagnosis of gynecomastia.To read more about the project see here.
Previous Population Studies
Studies where sampling and data collection has been completed. However, data analysis may still be ongoing and biobanked samples may still be available.
The Copenhagen Mini-Puberty Study
The COPENHAGEN Mini-puberty Study is a unique, prospective study of 200 healthy newborns and their parents, recruited during pregnancy and newborns with DSD recruited on referral to our clinic with the aim to study the dynamic changes of the HPG-axis during minipuberty in healthy newborns compared to newborns born with symptoms of differences in sex development (DSD). For more details on the study see here.
The Copenhagen Mother-Child Cohort
This large longitudinal study was initiated in 1996. More than 2000 pregnant women from the Copenhagen area were included. Their children were investigated at several time points during early infancy (at birth and at 3, 6, 18 and 36 months of age), in childhood and puberty. Recently, a peri-pubertal follow up of the girls post menarche has been concluded. In addition, an adult follow-up investigation of father-son pairs has been completed in 2022. A similar and coordinated project was performed in parallel in a Finnish mother-son project in Turku, Finland.
For list of publications from the study see here.
The Copenhagen Puberty Study I & II
The Copenhagen Puberty Study I was conducted 1991-1992 and included almost 1,926 children age 6-20 years and the Copenhagen Puberty Study II was conducted 2005-2006 and included 1,864 children aged 5-19 years. For both studies, children from the normal population were recruited at randomly selected schools in Copenhagen and went through a thorough clinical examination, delivered urine samples and had blood samples taken. Questionnaire data on medical history, lifestyle factors etc. was also collected.
In the Copenhagen Puberty Study II, 209 of the included children (108 girls), were followed longitudinally for more than five years with examinations and sampling every 6 months.
For publications from the Copenhagen Puberty Studies I and II, see here
Young Male Reproductive Health Study
The Danish young men reproductive health study is a repeated cross-sectional study conducted between 1996 and 2022.
For a list of publications from the study, see here
