Cohort Profile: The Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC).

Key Features The Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort (TMCHC) is a prospective, observational pregnancy and birth cohort study investigating the pre-, peri- and post-natal determinants of mother-child pairs' health, including nutrition, environmental exposes, lifestyle and genetic factors, through the collection of extensive demographics, anthropometric, nutritional and biological data. The first 1000 days of life, the time from pregnancy onset to 2 years of age, is a critical window of opportunity for future health and functioning of mother and child.[[1], [3]] The Tongji Maternal and Child Health cohort (TMCHC), launched in January 2013 in the city of Wuhan, China, is a prospective observational pregnancy and birth cohort that allows a detailed examination of the first 1000 days of life enabling investigation of early-life factors contributing to mother-child pairs' health. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 82073555) supports the assessment of maternal folic acid status during pregnancy and genes related to folic acid metabolism for demonstrating their implications on mother and child health. During pregnancy, venous blood samples were obtained at ~16 and 24-28 weeks of gestation, and the day before delivery, when blood tests for Oscar, 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and other clinical-biochemistry tests were performed. [Extracted from the article]