Girls born underweight are more likely to be infertile adults!

Researchers have found that girls who are born unexpectedly small or underweight are twice as likely to have fertility issues in adulthood as those born at a normal size. They note that with advances in medicine, more underweight babies are surviving into adulthood, which could mean that the prevalence of infertility could also rise.

Their findings reveal that women with fertility problems that were attributed to a female factor were nearly 2.5 times more likely to have been born underweight, compared with those whose infertility was due to a male factor or unexplained. In addition, the team found that these women were nearly three times more likely to have been born unexpectedly small, compared with those whose fertility was unexplained.

And even after the researchers took into account factors that could influence the results - such as previous motherhood and current weight - they found that these findings held true. The team observed that women whose infertility was attributable to a female factor were mostly heavier than average, and they note that excess weight is a known risk factor for infertility.

The study authors say their findings suggest that growth restriction in the womb could affect how reproductive organs develop, and they note that previous research has linked reduced ovulation with fetal growth restriction. Though their findings are significant - and if confirmed, they may have implications for prevalence of infertility - the researchers caution that the sample size is quite small and the study was only carried out in Sweden, so the findings may not apply to other geographical locations.