Higher Gravidity and Parity Are Associated with Increased Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Rural Bangladeshi Women

Abstract

BackgroundParity increases the risk for coronary heart disease; however, its association with metabolic syndrome among women in low-income countries is still unknown.ObjectiveThis study investigates the association between parity or gravidity and metabolic syndrome in rural Bangladeshi women.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 1,219 women aged 15–75 years from rural Bangladesh. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the standard NCEP-ATP III criteria. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between parity and gravidity and metabolic syndrome, with adjustment of potential confounding variables.ResultsSubjects with the highest gravidity (> = 4) had 1.66 times higher odds of having metabolic syndrome compared to those in the lowest gravidity (0-1) (P trend = 0.02). A similar association was found between parity and metabolic syndrome (P trend = 0.04), i.e., subjects in the highest parity (> = 4) had 1.65 times higher odds of having metabolic syndrome compared to those in the lowest parity (0-1). This positive association of parity and gravidity with metabolic syndrome was confined to pre-menopausal women (P trend <0.01). Among the components of metabolic syndrome only high blood pressure showed positive association with parity and gravidity (P trend = 0.01 and <0.001). Neither Parity nor gravidity was appreciably associated with other components of metabolic syndrome.ConclusionsMulti parity or gravidity may be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome.

Parity and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome Among Chinese Women

“…14 A US cohort study, conducted by Gunderson et al, examined the association between parity and the risk of MetS among 1,451 black and white women. 15 That study found a positive association between parity and risk of MetS. However, Gunderson et al did not adjust for menopausal status, which can be an independent predictor of MetS.…”

“…Complications in pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, might have limited the total number of further live births and be risk factors for developing MetS in later life. 15 Other factors that need to be included in future investigations are the history of lactation, age at menarche, weight gain during pregnancy, and postpartum weight retention, which are related to the risk of MetS. 38,39 Third, we did not collect information on other underlying diseases, such as thyroid disease, which is associated with both parity and MetS.…”

“…13,14 One recent study suggested that only women with grand multiparity (four or more live births) have an excess risk of MetS in Bangladesh. 15 However, two other studies showed no significant relationship between parity and the prevalence of MetS after additional adjustment for body mass index (BMI). 16,17 The objective of this study was to examine whether the number of births is associated with the prevalence of MetS in a population of Chinese women, controlling for demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive factors.…”

Prevalence and predictors of metabolic syndrome among women above 35 years of age: a cross sectional study from northern India

“…Various other studies also support this positive correlation. 8,9 Menopause is an important predictor of metabolic syndrome. In present study it is found that postmenopausal women had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in comparison to premenopausal women (68.8% vs 37.8%) and on statistical correlation it was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05).…”

Parity and Components of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Hispanic/Latina Women

“…8 Previous studies have examined the association between parity and the MetS, but they have been limited by small sample sizes 9–11 and study populations that were predominantly of non-Hispanic background. 10,12–17 To our knowledge, no studies have examined the association between parity and the MetS in a U.S. Hispanic/Latina population.…”