Ultrasonographic assessment of cervix size and its correlation with female characteristics, pregnancy, BMI, and other anthropometric features.
OBJECTIVE
Cervical length during the first trimester of pregnancy has not been completely investigated yet. The objective of our study is to compare cervical size in the first ten gestational weeks with that of non-pregnant women, and to determine its correlation with maternal factors, including age, anthropometric features, and reproductive history.


METHODS
We collected retrospective data about women who applied to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatients Facility of Udine between February and June 2009, selecting both pregnant and non-pregnant women possessing a transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of their cervix, and focusing on their age, parity, BMI, cervical, and uterine size. Data were analyzed by R (version.2.8.0), considering significant P < 0.05.


RESULTS
135 women were recruited. By multivariate linear regression, both cervical length and width result independently influenced by pregnancy status, and among non-pregnant nullipara, cervical length results to be significantly lower in women younger than 20 (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
During the first ten gestational weeks, cervix results to be longer and wider than in non-pregnant women, suggesting the possible existence of early gestational, morphological, uterine, and cervical modifications. Women under the age of 20 have a significantly shorter cervix, suggesting an incomplete cervix maturity in this group of women, which may justify the higher prevalence of pre-term births in teenage pregnancies.
Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Udine, p.le SSMM Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy. ambrogio.londero@gmail.com
A P
AP
Londero
S
S
Bertozzi
A
A
Fruscalzo
L
L
Driul
D
D
Marchesoni
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult