title: Association of adolescent obesity and lifetime nulliparity--the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether adolescent obesity is associated with difficulties in becoming pregnant later in life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a longitudinal cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiethnic, community-based observational study of U.S. women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three thousand one hundred fifty-four midlife women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lifetime nulliparity and lifetime nulligravidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred twenty-seven women (16.7%) women had never delivered a baby. Participants were categorized by self-reported high school body mass index (BMI): underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m(2)), and obese (>30 kg/m(2)). The prevalence of lifetime nulliparity increased progressively across the high school BMI categories: 12.7%, 16.7%, 19.2%, and 30.9%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed that women who were obese adolescents had significantly higher odds of remaining childless compared with normal weight women (odds ratio [OR] 2.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59-5.10) after adjusting for adult BMI, history of nongestational amenorrhea, marital status, ethnicity, study site, and measures of socioeconomic status. Furthermore, adolescent obesity was associated with lifetime nulligravidity (OR = 3.93; 95% CI, 2.12-7.26).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescent obesity is associated with lifetime nulliparity and nulligravidity in midlife U.S. women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA. apolotsky@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Polotsky
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hailpern
authors.forename: Joan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Skurnick
authors.forename: Joan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sternfeld
authors.forename: Nanette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Santoro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health