title: The obstetric significance of short stature.
abstract: A study is made of the obstetric performance of 2791 Maltese women in relation to their stature, the height of almost two-thirds of these mothers was 5 ft. or less. It is confirmed that today the shorter woman continues to carry a higher risk of low birth-weight, cesarean section, low Apgar score, and a bad obstetric history. It should be remembered that whereas maternal height is an index of the woman's general health and nutritional status from her childhood, yet a major role is also played by genetic factors. The obstetric significance of a particular height should be related to the patient's own genetic background. Obstetric management in relation to maternal height entails different cut-off points for different populations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008319:Malta; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009772:Obstetrical Forceps; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*