12 Mar Low Birth Weight Babies at Higher Risk of Infertility Later in Life
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Josefin Vikström
Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Vikström: Our study showed that women with a female infertility factor were more than two times more likely to have been born with a low birth weight (less than 2500g) or small for gestational age compared to women where the cause of infertility was unknown and/or male.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Vikström: We hypothesized that being born with a low birth weight (<2500g) would increase the risk of infertility since the risk of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome is increased in these individuals. However, since this study is the first of its kind it was difficult to predict the results.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Vikström: Women born with a low birth weight might be at increased risk of infertility later on in life but more studies are needed to verify these results.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Vikström: More studies are needed to determine that there is an association between low birth weight and infertility in women and in that case why these women are at increased risk of infertility.
Citation:
Josefin Vikström, Mats Hammar, Ann Josefsson, Marie Bladh, Gunilla Sydsjö
BMJ Open 2014;4:3 e004197 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004197
Last Updated on November 26, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD