Do parental heights influence pregnancy length?: a population-based prospective study, HUNT 2

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Pål Richard Romundstad³  Kjell Åsmund Salvesen¹  Elisabeth Balstad Magnussen²  Lars Johan Vatten³  Kirsti Myklestad² 

[1] Clinical Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden;Department of Obstetrics, Children`s and Women`s Health, Trondheim University Hospital St. Olav, Olav Kyrres gt.11, Trondheim N-7006, Norway;Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim N-7489, Norway

关键词: Pre-term birth;    Pregnancy length;    Paternal height;    Maternal height;    Cardiovascular risk factors;   

Others  :  1151047
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2393-13-33

 received in 2012-08-29, accepted in 2013-01-30,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

The objective of this study was to examine the association of maternal and paternal height with pregnancy length, and with the risk of pre- and post-term birth. In addition we aimed to study whether cardiovascular risk factors could explain possible associations.

Methods

Parents who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2; 1995–1997) were linked to offspring data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (1997–2005).

The main analyses included 3497 women who had delivered 5010 children, and 2005 men who had fathered 2798 pregnancies. All births took place after parental participation in HUNT 2. Linear regression was used to estimate crude and adjusted differences in pregnancy length according to parental heights. Logistic regression was used to estimate crude and adjusted associations of parental heights with the risk of pre- and post-term births.

Results

We found a gradual increase in pregnancy length by increasing maternal height, and the association was essentially unchanged after adjustment for maternal cardiovascular risk factors, parental age, offspring sex, parity, and socioeconomic measures. When estimated date of delivery was based on ultrasound, the difference between mothers in the lower height quintile (<163 cm cm) and mothers in the upper height quintile (≥ 173 cm) was 4.3 days, and when estimated date of delivery was based on last menstrual period (LMP), the difference was 2.8 days. Shorter women (< 163 cm) had lower risk of post-term births, and when estimated date of delivery was based on ultrasound they also had higher risk of pre-term births. Paternal height was not associated with pregnancy length, or with the risks of pre- and post-term births.

Conclusions

Women with shorter stature had shorter pregnancy length and lower risk of post-term births than taller women, and when EDD was based on ultrasound, they also had higher risk of preterm births. The effect of maternal height was generally stronger when pregnancy length was based on second trimester ultrasound compared to last menstrual period. The association of maternal height with pregnancy length could not be explained by cardiovascular risk factors. Paternal height was neither associated with pregnancy length nor with the risk of pre- and post-term birth.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Myklestad et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Clausson B, Lichtenstein P, Cnattingius S: Genetic influence on birthweight and gestational length determined by studies in offspring of twins. BJOG 2000, 107(3):375-381.
• [2]Lie RT, Wilcox AJ, Skjaerven R: Maternal and paternal influences on length of pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2006, 107(4):880-885.
• [3]Bergsjo P, Denman DW 3rd, Hoffman HJ, Meirik O: Duration of human singleton pregnancy. A population-based study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1990, 69(3):197-207.
• [4]Johnsen SL, Wilsgaard T, Rasmussen S, Hanson MA, Godfrey KM, Kiserud T: Fetal size in the second trimester is associated with the duration of pregnancy, small fetuses having longer pregnancies. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2008, 8:25. BioMed Central Full Text
• [5]Zhang X, Mumford SL, Cnattingius S, Schisterman EF, Kramer MS: Reduced birthweight in short or primiparous mothers: physiological or pathological? BJOG 2010, 117(10):1248-1254.
• [6]Johnsen SL, Rasmussen S, Sollien R, Kiserud T: Fetal age assessment based on ultrasound head biometry and the effect of maternal and fetal factors. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2004, 83(8):716-723.
• [7]Sherrard A, Platt RW, Vallerand D, Usher RH, Zhang X, Kramer MS: Maternal anthropometric risk factors for caesarean delivery before or after onset of labour. BJOG 2007, 114(9):1088-1096.
• [8]Sohlberg S, Stephansson O, Cnattingius S, Wikstrom AK: Maternal body mass index, height, and risks of preeclampsia. Am J Hypertens 2011, 25(1):120-125.
• [9]Clausson B, Cnattingius S, Axelsson O: Preterm and term births of small for gestational age infants: a population-based study of risk factors among nulliparous women. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1998, 105(9):1011-1017.
• [10]Cnattingius S, Haglund B, Kramer MS: Differences in late fetal death rates in association with determinants of small for gestational age fetuses: population based cohort study. BMJ 1998, 316(7143):1483-1487.
• [11]Chan BC, Lao TT: Maternal height and length of gestation: does this impact on preterm labour in Asian women? Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2009, 49(4):388-392.
• [12]Sheiner E, Levy A, Katz M, Mazor M: Short stature–an independent risk factor for Cesarean delivery. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2005, 120(2):175-178.
• [13]Kramer MS, Coates AL, Michoud MC, Dagenais S, Hamilton EF, Papageorgiou A: Maternal anthropometry and idiopathic preterm labor. Obstet Gynecol 1995, 86(5):744-748.
• [14]Magnussen EB, Vatten LJ, Myklestad K, Salvesen KA, Romundstad PR: Cardiovascular risk factors prior to conception and the length of pregnancy: population-based cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2011, 204(6):526. e521-528
• [15]Catov JM, Ness RB, Wellons MF, Jacobs DR, Roberts JM, Gunderson EP: Prepregnancy lipids related to preterm birth risk: the coronary artery risk development in young adults study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010, 95(8):3711-3718.
• [16]Magnussen EB, Vatten LJ, Lund-Nilsen TI, Salvesen KA, Davey Smith G, Romundstad PR: Prepregnancy cardiovascular risk factors as predictors of pre-eclampsia: population based cohort study. BMJ 2007, 335(7627):978.
• [17]Paajanen TA, Oksala NK, Kuukasjarvi P, Karhunen PJ: Short stature is associated with coronary heart disease: a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis. Eur Heart J 2010, 31(14):1802-1809.
• [18]Lunde A, Melve KK, Gjessing HK, Skjaerven R, Irgens LM: Genetic and environmental influences on birth weight, birth length, head circumference, and gestational age by use of population-based parent-offspring data. Am J Epidemiol 2007, 165(7):734-741.
• [19]Morken NH, Melve KK, Skjaerven R: Recurrence of prolonged and post-term gestational age across generations: maternal and paternal contribution. BJOG 2011, 118(13):1630-1635.
• [20]Holmen J, Midthjell K, Kruger Ø, Langhammer A, Holmen TL, Bratberg G, Vatten L, Lund-Larsen P: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 1995–97 (HUNT 2): Objectives, contents, methods and participation. Norsk Epidemiologi 2003, 13:19-32.
• [21]Backe B: Overutilization of antenatal care in Norway. Scand J Public Health 2001, 29(2):129-132.
• [22]Skjaerven R, Gjessing HK, Bakketeig LS: Birthweight by gestational age in Norway. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2000, 79(6):440-449.
• [23]Williams RL: A note on robust variance estimation for cluster-correlated data. Biometrics 2000, 56(2):645-646.
• [24]Wilcox AJ, Skjaerven R, Lie RT: Familial patterns of preterm delivery: maternal and fetal contributions. Am J Epidemiol 2008, 167(4):474-479.
• [25]Svensson AC, Sandin S, Cnattingius S, Reilly M, Pawitan Y, Hultman CM, Lichtenstein P: Maternal effects for preterm birth: a genetic epidemiologic study of 630,000 families. Am J Epidemiol 2009, 170(11):1365-1372.
• [26]Shah PS: Paternal factors and low birthweight, preterm, and small for gestational age births: a systematic review. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010, 202(2):103-123.
• [27]Gardosi J, Geirsson RT: Routine ultrasound is the method of choice for dating pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1998, 105(9):933-936.
• [28]Wald N, Cuckle H, Nanchahal K, Turnbull AC: Sex differences in fetal size early in pregnancy. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986, 292(6513):137.
• [29]Thorsell M, Kaijser M, Almstrom H, Andolf E: Expected day of delivery from ultrasound dating versus last menstrual period–obstetric outcome when dates mismatch. BJOG 2008, 115(5):585-589.
• [30]Persson PH, Grennert L, Gennser G, Kullander S: A study of smoking and pregnancy with special references to fetal growth. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand Suppl 1978, 78:33-39.
• [31]Henriksen TB, Wilcox AJ, Hedegaard M, Secher NJ: Bias in studies of preterm and postterm delivery due to ultrasound assessment of gestational age. Epidemiology 1995, 6(5):533-537.
• [32]Pierce BT, Hancock EG, Kovac CM, Napolitano PG, Hume RF Jr, Calhoun BC: Influence of gestational age and maternal height on fetal femur length calculations. Obstet Gynecol 2001, 97(5 Pt 1):742-746.
• [33]Mongelli M, Gardosi J: Longitudinal study of fetal growth in subgroups of a low-risk population. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 1995, 6(5):340-344.
• [34]Voigt M, Rochow N, Jahrig K, Straube S, Hufnagel S, Jorch G: Dependence of neonatal small and large for gestational age rates on maternal height and weight–an analysis of the German perinatal survey. J Perinat Med 2010, 38(4):425-430.
• [35]Smith GC, Smith MF, McNay MB, Fleming JE: First-trimester growth and the risk of low birth weight. N Engl J Med 1998, 339(25):1817-1822.
• [36]Bukowski R, Smith GC, Malone FD, Ball RH, Nyberg DA, Comstock CH, Hankins GD, Berkowitz RL, Gross SJ, Dugoff L: Fetal growth in early pregnancy and risk of delivering low birth weight infant: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2007, 334(7598):836.
• [37]Skalkidou A, Kieler H, Stephansson O, Roos N, Cnattingius S, Haglund B: Ultrasound pregnancy dating leads to biased perinatal morbidity and neonatal mortality among post-term-born girls. Epidemiology 2010, 21(6):791-796.
• [38]Bourdon RM, Brinks JS: Genetic, environmental and phenotypic relationships among gestation length, birth weight, growth traits and age at first calving in beef cattle. J Anim Sci 1982, 55(3):543-553.
• [39]Cleal JK, Poore KR, Newman JP, Noakes DE, Hanson MA, Green LR: The effect of maternal undernutrition in early gestation on gestation length and fetal and postnatal growth in sheep. Pediatr Res 2007, 62(4):422-427.
• [40]Morken NH, Kallen K, Jacobsson B: Fetal growth and onset of delivery: a nationwide population-based study of preterm infants. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006, 195(1):154-161.
• [41]Lackman F, Capewell V, Richardson B, DaSilva O, Gagnon R: The risks of spontaneous preterm delivery and perinatal mortality in relation to size at birth according to fetal versus neonatal growth standards. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001, 184(5):946-953.
• [42]Barker DJ: The fetal and infant origins of adult disease. BMJ 1990, 301(6761):1111.
• [43]Kolas T, Hofoss D, Daltveit AK, Nilsen ST, Henriksen T, Hager R, Ingemarsson I, Oian P: Indications for cesarean deliveries in Norway. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003, 188(4):864-870.
• [44]Patel RR, Steer P, Doyle P, Little MP, Elliott P: Does gestation vary by ethnic group? a London-based study of over 122,000 pregnancies with spontaneous onset of labour. Int J Epidemiol 2004, 33(1):107-113.
• [45]Lao TT, Ho LF: The obstetric implications of teenage pregnancy. Hum Reprod 1997, 12(10):2303-2305.