The impact of preconception body mass index on cervical length: a prospective cohort study in China

Abstract

Objective

To assess the relationship between preconception body mass index (BMI) and cervical length (CL).

Methods

Data was collected from a prospective cohort study conducted in Beijing, China. A total of 4843 qualified women participated in this study, whose health-related information was recorded at the very beginning and their cervical length was measured with transvaginal ultrasound examination during 22–24 gestational weeks. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between preconception BMI and cervical length, after adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Of all the participants in the analysis, 580 (12.0%) women had a short cervical length (CL less than 30 mm). After adjusting for the age and parity status, the adjusted odds ratios of short CL for underweight: adjusted OR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.60); overweight: adjusted OR = 0.74 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.99); obesity: adjusted OR = 0.38 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.88) compared with normal weight. The mean CL in underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity group demonstrated a significant linear increased trend (33.47, 34.16 and 34.96 mm, respectively) (p < .05), dependent of age and parity.

Conclusions

This research revealed that low preconception BMI women were more likely to have a short CL.

Keywords:

• Body mass index
• cervical length
• Chinese women
• cohort study
• preconception

Author contributions

HA, NL and SHG had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant no: 81673177].