The 3D Cohort Study (Design, Develop, Discover) was established to help bridge knowledge gaps about the links between various adverse exposures during pregnancy with birth outcomes and later health outcomes in children.

The main objective of the 3D study is to create a large pregnancy and birth cohort, allowing for the assessment of the effects of combined prenatal exposure on both birth outcomes and longer-term infant and child health. The specific objectives are to:

1. Determine the effects of pre- and post-natal exposures to environmental contaminants, nutritional factors and psychosocial stress on pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes;
2. Assess the contribution of social, genetic, epigenetic, nutritional and environmental factors to the etiology and outcomes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm birth; and
3. Assess the effects of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) on indicators of epigenetic modifications, and the relationship between such epigenetic changes and infant neurodevelopmental, cardiovascular, and metabolic outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Able to communicate in French or English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current intravenous drug use
• Severe illnesses or life threatening conditions
• Multiple gestation pregnancies

The 3D Cohort Study is structured around a triadic (mother-partner-child) framework. The cohort comprises 2366 women recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy (8-14 weeks) who were planning to deliver in a collaborating hospital in the province of Quebec. Women and their partners were recruited between May 25, 2010 and August 30, 2012 at one of nine study centres during routine first-trimester prenatal visits to study hospitals and infertility clinics.