Can different geographic conditions affect the formation of striae gravidarum? A multicentric study

Striae gravidarum (SG) is a most common physiological skin change that many pregnant women experience during pregnancy. We investigated the effects of geographic conditions and altitude on the formation of SG.

A total of 508 nulliparous women with singleton gestation were included in the study from three different geographic locations. The first city is located in the mountainous area at an altitude of approximately 1900 m (approximately 6233 ft). The second city is located on a plain in the middle of the country at an altitude of 900 m (approximately 2952 ft). The third city is located by the seaside (altitude 26 m, 85 ft). Twelve variables were recorded for each woman in the prepartum period, and striae were scored using the numerical scoring system of Atwal et al.

We found that striae formation was significantly more common in higher areas. According to the regression analyses, when the third region, located at sea level, was taken as a reference point, the appearance of SG was 2.1- and 1.8-fold more common in the first region (altitude 1900 m) and the second region (altitude 900 m), respectively (P = 0.020).

To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on SG formation. Moreover, our study group is one of the largest in the published work. Environmental factors can affect the formation of striae gravidarum. Further studies with different ethnic groups are needed.