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Metropolitan Maternity Services

Regional Maternity Services

Fiona Bruinsma

BBSc, Grad Dip App Psych, MA App Sc (Epidemiology)

Research Fellow

Email: f.bruinsma@latrobe.edu.au

Telephone: 03 8341 8532

Fiona has worked at the Centre for more than 10 years. During that time she has worked on a variety of studies including: prevalence of obstetric ultrasound; cancer after infertility and IVF, women’s experiences of maternity care in Victoria and the Tall Girls study. Fiona’s most recent work has investigated pregnancy outcomes after cervical dysplasia. In 2007 Fiona joined the COMPASS team as a team investigator. She continues to work on the thesis component towards a Professional Doctorate in Public Health.

MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS

Long-term follow-up studies, cohort studies

CURRENT PROJECTS

Perinatal outcomes following treatment for cervical dysplasia
Aim:	The aim of this project was to measure preterm birth, perinatal death and low birth weight in births to women who were referred to the Dysplasia Clinic at the Royal Women’s Hospital from 1982-2000 after a diagnosis of biopsy-proven precancerous changes of the cervix, and to compare their risk of these outcomes with the risks in the whole Victorian population. The study was a retrospective cohort study in which records from the Dysplasia Clinic were linked to birth records in the Victorian Data Collection for the years 1983-2002. The analysis of the linked data files took into account other risk factors for preterm birth present in the birth data (e.g. maternal age at birth, country of birth, parity, gravidity, socio-economic status) as well as the severity of the cervical lesions, the extent of treatment required and the treatment modality. The study found that diagnosis of pre-cancerous changes in the cervix (regardless of treatment) was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth.
Team:	Fiona Bruinsma and Judith Lumley in collaboration with Michael Quinn and Jeffrey Tan, Royal Women’s Hospital
Funding:	NHMRC project grant 2003-2004
Status:	1 paper published, thesis in preparation, development of further project arising out of the study

Impact of size of the excision on subsequent pregnancy outcome after excisional treatment for cervical dysplasia
Aim:	An important question that has arisen is, if there are poorer outcomes associated with excisional treatments and particularly LEEP, is it the treatment per se that is associated with the increased risk or aspects of the treatment such as the amount of tissue removed? Using data held by the Royal Women’s Hospital Dysplasia Clinic we have a timely opportunity to examine pregnancies following LEEP treatment and to analyse the data by specific aspects of the treatment such as the amount of tissue removed. If this treatment, or aspects of this treatment have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes this is vital public health information both for clinicians and women.
Team:	Fiona Bruinsma and Judith Lumley in collaboration with Michael Quinn and Jeffrey Tan, Royal Women’s Hospital
Funding:	Self-funded
Status:	Data analysis

PUBLICATIONS (Selected)

Jakobsson M, Bruinsma F. Adverse pregnancy outcomes after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Invited Editorial. BMJ 2008; 337.

Venn A, Hosmer T, Hosmer D, Bruinsma F, Jones P, Rayner J, Lumley J, Pyett P, Werther G. Estrogen treatment for tall stature in girls: estimating the effect on height and the error in height prediction. Clinical Endocrinology, 2007:68(6):926-929.

Jordan H, Bruinsma F, Thomson R, Amir L, Werther G, Venn A. Adolescent exposure to high-dose estrogen and subsequent effects on lactation. Reprod Toxicol 2007;24:397-402.

Bruinsma F, Lumley J, Tan J, Quinn M. Pre-cancerous changes in the cervix and risk of subsequent preterm birth. Authors reply. BJOG 2007;114:773-774.

Bruinsma F, Lumley J, Tan J, Quinn M. Pre-cancerous changes in the cervix and risk of subsequent preterm birth. Authors reply. BJOG 2007;114:776-777.

Bruinsma F, Lumley J, Tan J, Quinn M. Precancerous changes in the cervix and risk of subsequent preterm birth. BJOG 2007; 114: 70-81.

Bruinsma F, Venn A, Patton G, Rayner J-A, Pyett P, Werther G, Jones P, Lumley J. Concern about tall stature during adolescence and depression in later life. Journal of Affective Disorders 2006; 91:145-152.

Brown S, Bruinsma F. Future directions for Victoria’s public maternity services: is this ‘what women want’? Australian Health Review 2006; 30:56-65.

Davey MA, Brown S, Bruinsma F. What is it about antenatal continuity of carer that matters to women? Birth 2005;32:262-271.

Pyett P, Rayner J, Venn A, Bruinsma F, Werther G, Lumley, J. Using hormone treatment to reduce the adult height of tall girls: are women satisfied with the decision in later years? Social Science and Medicine 2005;61:1629-1639.

Brown S, Darcy MA, Bruinsma. Women’s views and experiences of postnatal hospital care: results of the Victorian Survey of Recent Mothers 2000. Midwifery 2005;21:109-126.

Venn A, Bruinsma F, Werther G, Pyett P, Baird D, Jones P, Rayner J. The use of oestrogen to reduce the adult height of tall girls: long term effects on fertility. The Lancet 2004; 364:1513-1518.

Brown S, Bruinsma F, Darcy MA, Small R, Lumley J. Early discharge: no evidence of adverse outcomes in three consecutive population-based Australian surveys of recent mothers. Paediatric Perinatal Epidemiology, 2004; 18:202-213.

Bruinsma F, Brown S, Darcy M-A. Having a baby in Victoria 1989-2000: women’s views of public and private models of care. Aust N Z J Pub Health 2003; 27:20-26.

Brown S, Darcy M-A, Bruinsma F. Having a baby in Victoria 1989-2000: continuity and change in the decade following the Victorian Review of Birthing Services. Aust N Z J Pub Health 2002; 26:242-250.

Venn A, Hemminki E, Watson L, Bruinsma F, Healy D. Mortality in a cohort of IVF patients. Human Reproduction 2001; 16(12):2691-2696.

Bruinsma F, Venn A, Lancaster P, Speirs A, Healy D. Incidence of cancer in children born after in vitro fertilisation. Human Reproduction 2000; 15(3): 604-607.

Bruinsma F, Venn A, Skene L. Accessing patients’ records without individual consent for epidemiological research. Journal of Law and Medicine 2000; 8(1): 76-80.

Venn A, Watson L, Bruinsma F, Giles G, Healy D. Risk of cancer after use of fertility drugs with in-vitro fertilisation. Lancet 1999; 354:1586-1590.

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Content Approved by: Director, Mother and Child Health Research
Page maintained by: Administrator
Last Updated: 26 August 2007