Birth dimensions of offspring, premature birth, and the mortality of mothers.

A person's birthweight is inversely related to their cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk, and preliminary data suggest that the birthweights of offspring are also inversely related to parental CVD mortality risk. In a cohort of pregnant Finnish women, we assessed the relation between birth dimensions of the offspring and maternal characteristics, and subsequent mortality. Maternal CVD mortality was inversely related to the birthweight of offspring and women having premature deliveries were also at increased CVD risk. Breast-cancer mortality was positively associated with ponderal index of offspring.