Early pregnancy screening for intrauterine growth retardation.

In a prospective clinical study from Uppsala County, Sweden, in 1980, all pregnancies were screened early in pregnancy for 15 previously reported risk factors for intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). This risk group (n = 639) was then compared with a randomly selected control group (n = 539). In the risk group, there were increased risks for the delivery of growth retarded infants, low birthweight infants and infants spontaneously delivered as prematures. 30% of the population exhibited risk factors. Smoking was the most important risk factor, 16% of the mothers smoked at least ten cigarettes per day and smoking was the main risk factor in the majority of cases with IUGR.