Women’s Studies
The Queen of Hearts Fund has set itself the target of halving the chances of growth retardation and pre-eclampsia by 2025. It also emphatically wishes to position pregnancy as a specific biological stress test and, by doing so, ensure and maintain the health, well-being and productivity of women in the longer term.
Social relevance
Women are considered the most important standard bearers of the healthy family and, as such, of society at large. As cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of mortality among Dutch women, they certainly deserve our full attention. Scientists from Maastricht University are doing research on existing, unidentified but known risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are responsible for these problems. This research requires financial resources over and above the standard research funds available to these researchers. Benefactors are very welcome to provide the financial assistance needed for this research.
‘The early recognition and timely preventive treatment of underlying problems that arise before, during and after pregnancy are vital to the achievement of a healthy future for women, children, families and society as a whole.’ Patient Council, Pre-Eclampsia & HELLP Syndrome
Pregnancy puts a great strain on the cardiovascular reserves and on the adaptive capacity of blood circulation. Indeed, the heart and blood vessels adapt inadequately in one of every five women, obstructing the growth of the unborn child or causing the mother to experience high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. Both of the above are life-threatening situations for mother and child in the short term and often lead to fear, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, even if the child survives this vulnerable period unscathed. Needless to say, this situation has direct consequences for relationships and employment. However, these women suffer in the long term too, being two to eight times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes and experience strokes and heart failure. In addition, the same problems are also more likely to occur in these women’s children. With all of the above in mind, pregnancy is clearly the ultimate health test for women.
Becoming a healthy mother and maintaining good health in the short and long term are vital to ensure a bright future for a mother, her children and the family as a whole. The Queen of Hearts Fund is facilitating the research necessary to make this a reality! – Marc Spaanderman, Gynecologist
Advisory committee
Spending by the Queen of Hearts Fund on the scientific research envisaged will be assessed by a committee of experts affiliated to the fund. The committee members are Prof. Marc Spaanderman, Dr. Chahinda Ghossein and Janou Boosten-Lamkin.
How to make a donation to this fund?
If you would like to make a donation to this fund, you can do so through the University Fund Limburg Attn Queen of Hearts Fund, IBAN: NL21 INGB 0653 6632 42
Alle fondsen
- A-KO Fund
- Knowledge Transfer Fund
- Nanne de Vries Professor’s Fund
- Peter Elverding chair
- Prof. dr. W.A. Wagenaar Fund
- Science Practice Fund
- UCM Fund
- Age@Minds Fund
- Brain Battle Fund
- Brain Injury Fund
- Brains Unlimited Pioneer Fund
- Dept of Pharmacology-Toxicology
- Excalibur Fund
- Healing Heart Fund
- Health in Slums Fund
- Hemker Fund
- Limburg Fund for Rehabilitation
- M4I Fund
- Mark Post Research Fund
- Queen of Hearts Fund
- SHE Fund
- Youth, Food and Health chair