Summary of adverse outcomes associated with increasing or decreasing growth in fetal measurements during the first or second half of pregnancy
| Growth before 20 weeks gestation (fetal outcome measured) | Antenatal growth after 20 weeks gestation (fetal outcome measured) |
|---|---|
| Accelerating growth | |
| Lower spirometry at 515 and 10 years16 (CRL and BPD) Higher asthma risk at 10 years16 (CRL and BPD) Higher eczema risk at 10 years16 (CRL and BPD) Higher atopy at 3 years18 (AC) Higher non-atopic wheeze at 3 years18 (HC) | Higher systolic blood pressure at 3 years19 (FL) Lower spirometry at 10 years16 (BPD and birth weight) Higher asthma risk at 10 years16 (BPD and birth weight) Lower hay fever risk at 10 years16 (BPD and birth weight)* Higher eczema risk at 4 years17 (AC) Higher fat mass at 6 months20 (EFW) Higher body mass index at adiposity peak22 (EFW) |
| Decelerating growth | |
| Lower spirometry (FVC) at 10 years16 (CRL and BPD) Lower risk for hay fever at 10 years16 (CRL and BPD) Higher risk for delay in fine motor development at 12 months25 (HC) Lower bone mineral content at birth and 4 years34 (FL and AC) Lower femoral neck section modulus (FL)37 | Higher risk for several developmental outcomes25 (HC) Higher risk for febrile convulsions29 (EFW) Lower bone mineral density at 6 months35 (EFW) Lower bone mineral content at 4 years33 (FL) Higher systolic blood pressure at 319 and 6 years30 (FL) Higher risk for atopy at 3 years18 (AC) Higher risk for atopic wheeze at 3 years18 (AC) Lower femoral neck section modulus (FL)37 |
*In this paper growth acceleration was linked to reduced risk for hay fever but growth failure not linked to increased risk for hay fever.
AC, abdominal circumference; BPD, biparietal diameter; CRL, crown rump length; EFW, estimated fetal weight; FL, femur length; FVC, forced vital capacity; HC, head circumference.