On University of Illinois’s Grainger College of Engineering Week: There’s more to learn about pregnancy and fertility.
Amy Wagoner Johnson, Andersen Faculty Scholar, Chan Zuckerberg BioHub Chicago Investigator and professor of mechanical science and engineering, takes an engineering perspective on one issue.
Amy Wagoner Johnson is an Andersen Faculty Scholar and Professor in Mechanical Science & Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Grainger College of Engineering. She is also a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago Investigator and a Fellow of AIMBE and ASME. She was the inaugural Department Head of Biomedical and Translational Sciences in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the first engineering-based college of medicine. Her biomechanics research focuses on women’s health, especially on pregnancy and fertility. Using multiscale imaging and mechanical testing, she studies how changes in the cervix influence its mechanics and contribute to preterm birth, as well as how environmental toxicants impact uterine structure and mechanical function, leading to infertility.
Engineering Tools to Understand Pregnancy and Fertility
When most people think about pregnancy and fertility, they don’t think about engineering. But engineers are trained to solve problems, which don’t have to be about cars, manufacturing, or buildings. We also apply engineering approaches to solve problems in women’s health through collaborations with biologists and clinicians.
More than 1 in 10 women struggle to get pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term. Preterm birth rates in the U.S. remain at 10%, even as healthcare capabilities, and costs, continue to rise. These numbers are even worse for underserved populations.
One possible reason? Long-term exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals like propylparaben. This preservative – found in lotions, cosmetics, hair care and other products – is so common that many people, especially women, are exposed every day without even knowing.
We’re using advanced imaging and mechanical testing to see how these chemicals affect the structure and function of the uterus. We found that long-term exposure changes collagen fibers in the uterus and makes some areas of the tissue stiffer than normal.
These small, patchy changes, too small to see with the naked eye, may disrupt how the uterus supports early pregnancy and increase the risk of problems with embryo implantation or development.
Now, we’re working on MRI tools that can spot these changes in the uterus – without surgery or biopsies. By bringing engineering into biology and medicine, we hope to better understand how environmental chemicals affect pregnancy, and how to stop problems before they start.
