What is fetal weight?
A new study links fetal birth weight to the type of conception. According to the study, infants conceived using fertility treatments are significantly smaller than infants born after natural conception. The study included 1,700 women who gave birth to one child. Multiple pregnancies were not used in the study because multiple pregnancies tend to result in lower birth weight babies. The research study revealed that women utilizing fertility treatments to conceive gave birth to infants that were roughly 1/3 of a pound lighter than women who gave birth to infants conceived naturally.
The study group included about 460 women who were treated at a fertility clinic for fertility problems. The women were treated with in-vitro fertilization and fertility drugs. About 100 of the women conceived naturally, without treatment. The women in the study group were compared to just less than 1,300 women who conceived naturally without fertility problems. Prenatal ultrasound is used as a diagnostic tool and means of collecting information, such as fetal weight and due date. According to researchers from the University Hospital Brugmann in Brussels, the fetal ultrasound may not be the most effective method of estimating fetal weight.