Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026
14:19
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Patterns of retarded fetal growth
Early Human Development
|September 1, 1979
Summary
Maternal short stature and underweight correlate with infant size at birth. Prolonged intrauterine growth retardation, often seen in undernourished mothers, results in proportionately stunted newborns.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal studies
- Human growth and development
- Maternal-fetal medicine
Background:
- Infant anthropometry at birth is crucial for assessing fetal growth.
- Maternal factors like height and weight significantly influence intrauterine development.
- Variations in infant size at term require explanation through distinct intrauterine growth patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the size and shape of term infants born to short, underweight mothers.
- To explore patterns of intrauterine growth influencing infant anthropometry.
- To characterize fetal growth in undernourished populations.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of infant weight, length, and head circumference at birth.
- Analysis of anthropometric data in relation to maternal characteristics.
- Classification of infants based on gestational age and growth patterns.
Main Results:
- Infants born to short, underweight mothers exhibited specific size and shape characteristics.
- Small-for-gestational-age infants were predominantly proportionately stunted.
- This growth pattern suggests prolonged intrauterine growth retardation.
Conclusions:
- Maternal undernutrition and short stature are linked to specific patterns of fetal growth.
- Proportionate stunting in small-for-gestational-age infants reflects chronic intrauterine growth issues.
- Findings are characteristic of infants from economically developing communities with nutritional challenges.
Related Concept Videos
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
01:07Teratogenicity
The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...