Shorter women likely to have smaller babies, preterm births

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A study published in PLOS Medicine has found that a woman's height can influence her pregnancy and baby. The study has linked a woman's height with shorter pregnancies, which can lead to smaller and premature babies.

The study's data revealed that for every extra centimeter in height, the baby grows 0.05 centimeters in length, gains 10 grams, and gets 0.34 days in gestational age, states the Irish Examiner.

According to IB Times, about one out of 15 million newborns die due to preterm births. Furthermore, the ones that do survive have a high risk of developing health problems, like jaundice, vision loss, cerebral palsy and intellectual delays.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative. For the research, the team studied over 3,000 women from Denmark, Finland, and Norway.

The March of Dimes researchers found a link between a mother's height and the development of the womb. Apparently, a woman's height can actually affect the shape of the fetal environment, thereby influencing the amount of time the baby stays in the womb.

Louis Muglia, lead researcher of the study, explained: "Our finding[s] show that a mother's height has a direct impact on how long her pregnancy lasts. The explanation for why this happens is unclear but could depend not only on unknown genes but also on [a] woman's lifetime nutrition and her environment."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America has the highest rates for premature births compared to other wealthy nations. Besides the correlation with height, preterm births are linked to other factors as well.

For example, previous studies have identified that a mother's weight and disease history could affect the length of pregnancy and the risk of a premature birth. In addition, certain behavioral factors, like stress levels or drug and alcohol use, can also directly affect a baby's gestational period.

Environmental factors, like prenatal care and exposure to pollution, must also be accounted for when considering the cause of a preterm birth, reports The Washington Post.

Muglia and other researchers involved in the study believe that the results of their research will help solve some issues affecting millions of babies throughout the world every year.

Dr. Joe Leight Simpson, Senior Vice President of research and global program at March of Dimes, said:

"That a woman's height influences gestational length, independent of the genes she passes on that determine fetal size, is a major finding by our research networks, and the first of what we expect to be many genetic contributions."