No association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and risk of hypospadias or cryptorchidism in male newborns.

BACKGROUND

Hypospadias and cryptorchidism, two relatively common male genital anomalies, may be caused by altered maternal hormone levels, blood glucose levels, or nutritional deficiencies. Maternal obesity, which increases risk of diabetes and could influence hormone levels, may, therefore, be associated with risk of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between pre-pregnancy maternal obesity and hypospadias and cryptorchidism.

METHODS

We conducted a case-control study of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in male singleton newborns using Washington State birth records from 1992 to 2008 linked to birth-hospitalization discharge records. Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was calculated from pre-pregnancy weight and height. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for hypospadias or cryptorchidism were estimated by fitting multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for year of birth, and maternal age, education, parity, race, and cigarette smoking during pregnancy.

RESULTS

The complete-case analysis included 2219 hypospadias cases, 2563 cryptorchidism cases, and 32,734 controls. Maternal obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2) ) was not associated with risk of hypospadias or cryptorchidism in male offspring: hypospadias (aOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.95-1.21); cryptorchidism (aOR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.89-1.11), and no trend in risk with increasing maternal BMI was found. There was little indication of risk associated with BMI among any subgroup of mothers examined, including women with pre-existing diabetes or hypertension, women who developed preeclampsia, non-Hispanic white women, first-time mothers, or mothers aged ≥30 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that pre-pregnancy maternal obesity is a cause of hypospadias or cryptorchidism in male infants.