Study Finds Link Between Low Birth Weight And Infertility In Women
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A new Swedish study has discovered a link between low birth weight and infertility in women.
The research, which was published in the journal BMJ Open, looked at a sample of 1,206 women born in the country who were suffering from fertility issues.
The women were born in 1973 or later and were all part of couples seeking fertility treatments. The median birth year was 1976, and the primary cause of the infertility (male, female or unexplained) as well as the patients' birth size, age and weight were determined using medical records and data from the Swedish birth registrar.
What scientists found is that those women who had a "female infertility factor" and were almost 2.5 times more likely to be born SGA, or small for gestational age.
"Women born with low birth weight and/or small for gestational age are at increased risk of infertility later on in life," the study's authors write.
While the researchers say this is the first study of its kind and more research needs to be done, they theorize that infants born with aspects that "deviate from the norm" might be prone to childbearing difficulties later in life.
To read more on the study, click here.