Am J Perinatol 2013; 30(08): 665-672
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1331023
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

First-Trimester Prediction of Birth Weight

Authors

  • Isabelle Boucoiran

    1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Anissa Djemli

    2   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Catherine Taillefer

    1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Françoise Rypens

    3   Departement of Medical Imaging, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • Edgard Delvin

    2   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • François Audibert

    1   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Further Information

Publication History

06 May 2012

09 September 2012

Publication Date:
02 January 2013 (online)

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Abstract

Objectives To determine whether the parameters used in first-trimester screening for aneuploidies contribute significantly to the prediction of birth weight.

Methods In this retrospective cohort study (n = 4110), nuchal translucency (NT), free β-chorionic gonadotropin (fβ-hCG), and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) blood concentrations were measured between 11 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks. Multiple pregnancies, chromosomal anomalies, major fetal defects, and deliveries before 24 weeks were excluded.

Results NT (0.95 versus 0.98 multiples of the expected median [MoM], p < 0.001) and PAPP-A (0.93 versus 1.06 MoM, p = 0.005) were significantly lower in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborns (<10th percentile) than the unaffected group, but not fβ-hCG (0.89 versus 0.93 MoM, p = 0.113). NT was significantly higher (1.03 versus 0.98 MoM, p < 0.001) in the large-for-gestational-age (LGA) group (>90th percentile) compared with the unaffected group, and biomarkers did not differ. After controlling for gestational age, maternal weight, smoking status, ethnicity, and fetal sex, first-trimester markers contributed to the prediction of birth weight in a multiple linear model but did not significantly improved the prediction of SGA and LGA compared with maternal characteristics alone.

Conclusions Parameters used in first-trimester screening for aneuploidies contribute to the prediction of birth weight but their clinical utility to detect women at risk of SGA or LGA baby is limited.