Explain the Pre Pregnancy Height and Foetal Outcome?
Maternal height prior to conception, determined by heredity, socio-economic environment and maternal nutritional status, is a strong independent determinant of birth weight and mortality. The ICMR multicentric study found that incidence of LBW rose sharply when maternal height was less than 140 cm. Another study found a 2.5 times higher incidence of LBW in mothers with height less than 147 cm compared to mothers with height above 147 cm. Since the cut off heights vary, it would seem again that preferably the pre pregnancy height should be above 147 cm but in any case less than 140 cm should be considered as high risk for LBW. Unlike weight which can be increased at any time during the reproductive period, adult height once reached cannot be changed. The NNMB data from different states show that 12-25% of adult women have heights less than 145 cm.