By Maria Bowman
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) is a hormone that plays the role as a biological clock during pregnancy – it can determine the length of pregnancy, resulting in why some babies are born early and some born late.
Maria Bowman is a research assistant in the Mother and Babies Research Program at HMRI and has the unique job of testing this hormone every day – a test that can only be done here in Newcastle.

Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) is a hormone that plays the role as a biological clock during pregnancy – it can determine the length of pregnancy, resulting in why some babies are born early and some born late.
Maria Bowman is a research assistant in the Mother and Babies Research Program at HMRI and has the unique job of testing this hormone every day – a test that can only be done here in Newcastle.

Maria reflects on her role and shares how important research is to help allow all mothers to experience a healthy pregnancy.

The length of pregnancy, that led me to being a mother, is determined by a hormone that can only be measured here in Newcastle! And I get to measure this hormone every day – what a job huh? 

A lecturer in Reproductive Biology in my second year of Uni would give us graphs and tables from published papers and ask us to answer a problem or question.  

We learnt to search the literature and explain the findings. There was no internet in those days, it was hands on, looking for journals in the library. It’s probably a bit nerdy, but I found it fun and probably my first introduction to the world of research.  

I was drawn into research because you get the chance to make a difference to people’s lives and their health.  

I still remember the first time I walked through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the hospital and seeing these tiny babies in humidicribs with attachments all over their little bodies struggling to survive, and how important our work was to try and prevent this.  

We got an even closer look at the roller coaster families go through when our lab manager John Fitter’s baby was born at 27 weeks.  

My main work involves measuring the hormone Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) in maternal blood. (CRH is a stress hormone produced in the brain with undetectable or very low levels detected in blood.)  

During pregnancy, this hormone is made and released from the placenta and can be measured in the mother’s blood. CRH can be detected from around 8 weeks and increases exponentially to reach a peak at birth.  

Its role as a biological clock that regulates the length of human pregnancy was discovered by our group, Mothers and Babies Research Centre (MBRC), in 1995.  

Mums delivering early had higher levels and mums delivering late had lower levels. These patterns could be seen early in pregnancy. 

I’ve now been measuring CRH for 32 years in many different studies.  

My colleague at HMRI, Distinguished Laureate Professor Roger Smith AM, likes to tell the story that he ran into my husband in the hospital corridor with a blood tube in hand, just hours after our daughter was born.  

I needed a blood test so instructed the midwife to take extra blood so that I could subsequently measure my own CRH level. (Yes, I was very dedicated to my work!)  

The method we use to measure CRH has been fine-tuned over the years, resulting in very reliable and accurate results, which is why it is sought by researchers all over the world. 

I hope that all mums can have a healthy term pregnancy resulting in a healthy baby that can reach their potential in life. 

Our research relies on the generosity of mothers all over the world who donate samples during pregnancy.  We are so very grateful to all these mothers, and we couldn’t do our research without you.  

Happy Mother’s Day to you all!  

By Maria Bowman