title: Obstetric performance of women who have previously delivered a baby of low birthweight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate pregnancy outcomes in women who have previously given birth to a baby weighing less than 2500 grams in a population in which the low birthweight rate is high.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the obstetric performance of 100 women who had delivered a low birthweight baby (<2500g) at term in a previous pregnancy (cases) with those of 100 women who were matched for age, height, body mass index at booking, parity and medical disorders, who had previously delivered a baby above that threshold (controls).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found the following significant differences between cases and controls (p<0.001 for all). Gestation at delivery (mean±SD = 38.0±1.9 vs. 39.1 ± 1.2 weeks); risk of delivery before completion of 37 weeks (19.0% vs. 3.0%); birthweight (mean±SD = 2.553 ± 0.444 vs. 3.015 ± 0.413 Kg); risk of delivery of a low birthweight (LBW) baby in the current pregnancy (27.0% vs. 4.0%). The stillbirth rate was also significantly higher among cases (4 vs. 0; p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Birth of a LBW baby points to adverse events in future pregnancies even where its prevalence is high. It is a useful criterion for assessment of risk in antenatal care and for directed interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. senanayakeh@gmail.com
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Senanayake
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bujawansa
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kariyawasam
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ariyaratne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D047929:Term Birth; D055815:Young Adult