The effect of maternal and paternal height and weight on antenatal, perinatal and postnatal morphology in sex-stratified analyses

Abstract

Introduction: Low birthweight is associated with diseases later in life. The mechanisms for these associations are not well known. If the hypothesis concerning "maternal constraint" is correct for humans, as shown in animal experiments, we expect the maternal, not paternal, body proportions to influence antenatal growth and those of both parents to influence postnatal growth. We aimed to study the effect of maternal and paternal height and weight on fetal femur length antenatally (gestational weeks 20 and 30) and body length and weight at birth and postnatally (12 and 24 months old) in both sexes.

Material and methods: In this prospective cohort study, 399 healthy pregnant women aged 20-42 years were recruited at The Mercy Hospital for Woman, Melbourne, Australia from 2008 to 2009. Fetal femur length was measured using antenatal ultrasound (gestational weeks 20 and 30). Body length and weight were measured for parents and offspring at birth and postnatally (12 and 24 months).

Results: Each standard deviation (SD) rise in maternal weight (15.5 kg) was associated with 0.24 SD (0.5 mm) and 0.18 SD (0.4 mm) longer femur length in female and male fetuses at week 20 and 0.17 SD (0.5 mm) and 0.38 SD (1.1 mm) longer femur length in female and male fetuses at week 30, respectively. In girls, each SD rise in paternal height (7.2 cm) was associated with 0.29 SD (0.6 cm) longer birth length. In boys, each SD rise in maternal height (6.7 cm) was associated with 0.23 SD (0.5 cm) longer birth length. In both sexes, parental height and weight were associated with offspring length and weight at 12 and 24 months (SD ranging from 0.20 to 0.38, length from 0.7 to 1.5 cm and weight from 0.3 to 0.6 kg). The multivariable linear regression analyses were adjusted for parental age, height and weight, maternal smoking, alcohol intake, parity, and ethnicity, all P < 0.05.

Conclusions: Maternal, not paternal, body proportions determined fetal growth in both sexes. Paternal height predicted birth length in girls. In contrast, maternal height predicted birth length in boys. Both parents predicted postnatal body proportions at 12 and 24 months in both sexes.

Keywords: birth length; birthweight; fetal femur length; infant length and weight; maternal height and weight; paternal height and weight.