Correlation between crown-rump length in the first trimester of pregnancy and neonatal outcomes

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association of crown-rump length (CRL) during the first trimester of pregnancy with neonatal outcomes. METHODS: A total of 15,524 women with a reliable first day of the last menstrual period and a regular menstrual cycle (28 ± 4 days) were included from January 2015 to November 2016. CRL was measured by ultrasound from 7(+0) to 13(+6) weeks during pregnancy and transformed to a standard deviation score (SDS) adjusted for gestational age. Linear regression was used to explore risk factors for CRL. A generalised linear model was used to evaluate the association between CRL and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, maternal age (0.25 mm, 95% CI = [0.22–0.28], P < 0.001; 0.04 SDS, 95% CI = [0.03–0.04], P < 0.001), multipara (0.30 mm, 95% CI = [0.08–0.52], P = 0.007; 0.04 SDS, 95% CI = [0.00–0.07], P = 0.031) and folic acid supplement use (0.78 mm, 95% CI = [0.49–1.08], P < 0.001; 0.05 SDS, 95% CI = [0.01–0.10], P < 0.019) were positively associated with CRL, while pre-pregnancy BMI (-0.17 mm, 95% CI = [-0.21 to -0.13], P < 0.001; -0.02 SDS, 95% CI = [-0.03 to -0.02], P < 0.001) was negatively related to CRL. For neonatal outcomes, CRL was negatively associated with small for gestational age (SGA) ([risk ratio] (RR) = 0.733, 95% [CI] = 0.673–0.8004, P(adjusted) < 0.001) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission ([RR] = 0.928, 95% [CI] = 0.883–0.976, P(adjusted) = 0.003), and preterm birth ([RR] = 1.082, 95% [CI] = 1.008–1.162, P(adjusted) = 0.029), but positively related to large for gestational age (LGA) ([RR] = 1.241, 95% [CI] = 1.184–1.301, P(adjusted) = 0.012). When stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI, the risk of SGA and LGA remained significant in all groups, while the increased risk of preterm birth was only observed in the lean group (BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)) and decreased risk of NICU admission rate in the normal group (BMI 18.5–24 kg/m(2)). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal characteristics were independently associated with CRL in the first trimester, which was negatively related to foetal size, SGA, preterm birth, and admission rate to the NICU, but positively related to LGA. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-022-03426-8.