Birth weight and ovulatory dysfunction

ObjectiveTo explore the association between birthweight and ovulatory dysfunction in adulthood. DesignCase-control study. SettingNortheast of Scotland University Hospital, hosting the regional fertility centre and maternity unit. PopulationA total of 18846 mother-daughter record pairs from the Aberdeen Fertility Centre Data Set and the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND). Cases were the daughters with ovulatory dysfunction attending the Aberdeen Fertility Centre between 1992 and 2007, Control group 1 included the daughters attending the fertility centre with confirmed ovulation, and Control group 2 included all women naturally fertile who gave birth in Aberdeen during the same period. MethodsThe electronic maternity records of the mothers of women in the three groups were retrieved from AMND and compared. Main outcome measuresDaughters' birthweight and standardised birthweight, characteristics of mothers and daughters at delivery and current daughters' characteristics. ResultsCases, Control group 1 and Control group 2 included 466, 548 and 17832 daughters, respectively. The mean birthweight (standard deviation) in grams was comparable between Cases 3203 (522), Control group 1, 3235 (482) P=0.30, and Control group 2, 3226 (495) P=0.31. The proportions of daughters born small for gestational age, large for gestational age, or preterm were comparable between the Cases group and each Control group, as was the mode of delivery and Apgar scores at 1 and 5minutes. The age at delivery, body mass index, social class or pregnancy complications were comparable in the mothers of the Cases and each Control group. ConclusionsOvulatory dysfunction does not appear to be related to birthweight or perinatal events.