Decrease in severity of intrauterine growth retardation in subsequent pregnancies.
OBJECTIVE
Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is likely to recur in a subsequent pregnancy. We investigated the obstetric features of recurrent cases and the severity of IUGR by comparing initial and subsequent deliveries.


METHODS
From a total of 12,567 deliveries, 95 women who were delivered of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants and who became pregnant again within 5 years, were enrolled. A retrospective, comparative study of recurrent and non-recurrent groups was performed.


RESULTS
Twenty-two of ninety-five women gave birth to SGA infants again, and a relatively high risk of recurrence was confirmed, but no single recurrence-associated features were revealed. Within the recurrent group, the degree of IUGR was more severe in only five cases in the subsequent pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
IUGR tends to recur, but does not increase in severity in most cases. We conclude that there is no need for excessive concern about the recurrence of IUGR.
Kuno
N
N
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Itakura
A
A
Kurauchi
O
O
Mizutani
S
S
Kazeto
S
S
Tomoda
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies