The association between age at first pregnancy and number of deliveries with metabolic syndrome and its components: Results from Persian Guilan Cohort Study (PGCS)

Metabolic syndrome is associated with many factors related to fertility. Identifying the link between metabolic syndrome and reproductive conditions can help us identify high-risk groups for the disease. The present study was performed aimed to investigate the relationship between the age of first pregnancy and number of deliveries with metabolic syndrome and its components.

This cross-sectional analytical study at the first stage of the Guilan cohort study with 10520 individuals and a part of the PERSIAN adult cohort study with 5243 women who had experienced at least one pregnancy. Patients' demographic information as well as information about reproductive conditions such as first gestational age and number of pregnancies and indicators related to metabolic syndrome were collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 21) and Chi-square test, t-test and adjusted odds ratio. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the study population was 55.5% (n=2909). After adjusting other factors such as age, socioeconomic status and place of residence, the chance of developing metabolic syndrome in those who experienced their first pregnancy between the ages of 20-25 were 54% higher than those under the age of 20 (P = 0.029). After adjusting to other factors, those who had 3, 4 and more than 5 deliveries were 1.43, 1.80, and 2.55 times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, respectively, than those who had one delivery (P<0.001).

Older age, number of births more than three, and associated chronic diseases increase the chance of developing metabolic syndrome. Considering that metabolic syndrome is associated with a wide range of non-communicable diseases, preventive measures are recommended in these individuals.