Do Short Women Have Shorter Pregnancies?
WHITE PLAINS, NY (CBS) -- A new study suggests that shorter women can have shorter pregnancies.
Researchers found a mother's height may affect the environment in the womb and influence the length of a pregnancy.
Investigators at a researcher center in Ohio looked at more the 3,400 women and their babies, and found that maternal height helped shape the fetal environment, influencing the length of the pregnancy.
Researchers say, "In contrast, birth length and weight are mainly influenced by transmitted genes."
"Our finding shows that a mother's height has a direct impact on how long her pregnancy lasts," said Louis Muglia, MD, PhD, the primary investigator of the Ohio Collaborative, and co-director of the Perinatal Institute at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
For more on the study, click here.