Relationship between the nutritional status of pregnant adolescents and fetal growth
Bolzán, A.; Guimarey, L.; Norry, M.
Medicina 59(3): 254-258
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7680 PMID: 10451564 Document Number: 498414
In order to identify differences in growth and nutritional status between early (aged up to 17 years) and late (aged 17-19 years) adolescent mothers during pregnancy and to measure the risk to have an intrauterine growth retardation (IGR: birthweight <10th percentile), a retrospective longitudinal anthropometric study was carried out in 300 adolescent pregnancies. Nutritional status was estimated according to the body mass index (BMI) measured during the first (<20 weeks) and last (>33 weeks) prenatal control and by the weight gain during pregnancy. When a mother had a weight gain <25th percentile she was considered at risk to have an IGR. Neonatal anthropometry included birthweight, recumbent length, cephalic perimeter and BMI. Results showed no significant differences in growth between both early and late adolescent pregnancies and between both groups of newborns. When a mother had a weight gain <25th percentile the relative risk to have an IGR increased up to 3 times (O.R=2.71 I.C. 95%: 1.31/6.45). There were differences in growth between newborns from mothers at risk and from mothers not at risk (P<0.01). It is concluded that the risk to have an IGR is significantly related to nutritional status and not to age itself in adolescent pregnancies.