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Patterns and success of fetal programming among women with low and extremely low pre-pregnancy BMI

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Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To estimate the frequency of fetal programming phenotypes among women with low BMI and the success of these programming patterns-to determine if small for gestational age (SGA) is a biologically adaptive mechanism to improve chances for infant survival.

Methods

We examined the frequency of fetal programming phenotypes: SGA, large for gestational age (LGA), and adequate for gestational age (AGA) among 1,063,888 singleton live births from 1978 to 1997. We also estimated the success of fetal programming phenotypes using neonatal death as the primary study outcome.

Results

Underweight gravidas with AGA and LGA babies had elevated risk of neonatal mortality when compared to normal weight mothers, while the risk for neonatal mortality among mothers with SGA babies was reduced.

Conclusions

The variation in relative degrees of fetal programming patterns and success observed suggests that underweight mothers are more likely to succeed in programming SGA fetuses rather than any other phenotype.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by an obesity grant from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI) to Dr. Hamisu Salihu (Last author). The funding agency did not play any role in any aspect of the study. We thank the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for providing the data files used in this study.

Conflicts of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

    Victoria Belogolovkin & Hamisu M. Salihu

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

    Hamisu M. Salihu

  3. Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

    Amina P. Alio & Heather B. Clayton

  4. The Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

    Alfred K. Mbah, Deanna Wathington & Hamisu M. Salihu

  5. Center for Research and Evaluation, Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, University of South Florida, 3111 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33613, USA

    Hamisu M. Salihu

Authors
  1. Victoria Belogolovkin
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  2. Amina P. Alio
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  3. Alfred K. Mbah
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  4. Heather B. Clayton
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  5. Deanna Wathington
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  6. Hamisu M. Salihu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hamisu M. Salihu.

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Belogolovkin, V., Alio, A.P., Mbah, A.K. et al. Patterns and success of fetal programming among women with low and extremely low pre-pregnancy BMI. Arch Gynecol Obstet 280, 579–584 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-0965-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-009-0965-8

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