A team of researchers from the University of Linköping (Sweden) has discovered that the physical characteristics of girls at birth can influence the chances of being infertile in adulthood.
The researchers explain in their study published in the journal BMJ that although advances in medicine are making it possible for babies with low weight (less than 2.5 kilograms) to survive and get ahead, it would also mean that infertility rates between females could increase .
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed data from 1,293 women aged 40 and younger who sought fertility treatment with their heterosexual partners. In the analysis, female infertility was 38.5%; the masculine of 27%. The rest were combined causes of the above or cases without explanation. Of the 1,293 women studied, 4% had been born prematurely and 4% had a low birth weight .
Examining all of these data found that women who were seeking treatment for their infertility were 2.4 times more likely to have been born underweight . Thus, being born with less weight than expected could double the risk of not being able to have children when you want to try in adulthood. According to the authors of the research, this is the first study to link physical characteristics at birth with later infertility in adulthood .
