The study was conducted on 3,000 women.
It’s long been said that the size of the mother could impact upon the size of the baby. A smaller woman having a smaller baby does indeed make sense, but research is now suggesting that height could also determine gestation time.
The intriguing study, published in PLOS Medicine, was conducted in a premature baby research centre in Ohio and 3,000 women took part. Study author, Louis Muglia, remarked:
“We found when we ran our analysis that mom’s height was a risk factor for having a preterm birth, so we decided to investigate this further.”
Commenting on the data they collected and the correlation between height and gestation time, Dr Muglia theorised why shorter women might have shorter pregnancies:
“We think this relationship may exist either because mother’s height influences uterine size or pelvic size, or height is related to mom’s metabolism and how much energy she can supply to a growing baby prior to birth.”
He suggests making sure you begin your pregnancy at a healthy weight and optimizing nutrition can help shorter mums void a premature birth.
Although these studies are important in terms of our understanding of premature births, we don’t think shorter mums need worry too much. As long as you are taking care of yourself, all should be fine.
