Table 2. Participant characteristics at time of telomere length measurement by gravidity group.
| 0 Pregnancy | 1 Pregnancy | 2–3 Pregnancies | ≥4 Pregnancies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 101 | 83 | 264 | 172 |
| Age (yrs) | 41 ± 0.3 | 42 ± 0.3 | 41 ± 0.2 | 42 ± 0.2 |
| African-American (n, %)† | 33, 33 | 36, 40 | 119, 45 | 102, 59 |
| Education (yrs)† | 16 ± 0.2 | 15 ± 0.2 | 15 ± 0.1 | 14 ± 0.2 |
| Smoking (pack-yrs) | 0.37 ± 0.1 | 0.69 ± 0.2 | 0.57 ± 0.1 | 0.74 ± 0.1 |
| Alcohol (ml/day) | 7.5 ± 1.4 | 6.8 ± 1.2 | 6.8 ± 0.7 | 6.7 ± 1.0 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.1 ± 0.7 | 28.7 ± 0.6 | 29.3 ± 0.4 | 29.6 ± 0.6 |
| Hypertension Meds (n, %) | 7, 7 | 10, 12 | 30, 11 | 21, 12 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 110 ± 1 | 113 ± 2 | 110 ± 1 | 112 ± 1 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 71 ± 2 | 73 ± 2 | 71 ± 1 | 72 ± 1 |
| Cholesterol Meds (n, %) | 5, 5 | 2, 2 | 9, 3 | 7, 4 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 185 ± 3 | 190 ± 4 | 182 ± 2 | 181 ± 2 |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 110 ± 3 | 113 ± 3 | 107 ± 2 | 108 ± 2 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 56 ± 1 | 57 ± 2 | 55 ± 1 | 55 ± 1 |
| Triglycerides | 92 ± 4 | 98 ± 6 | 93 ± 4 | 95 ± 6 |
| Diabetes (n, %) | 3, 3 | 0, 0 | 12, 5 | 6, 3 |
| GDM (n, %)† | 0, 0 | 2, 2 | 8, 3 | 6, 3 |
| PTB (n, %)† | 0, 0 | 4, 5 | 34, 13 | 39, 23 |
| Telomere length ≤25% (n,%) | 29, 29 | 19, 23 | 73, 28 | 35, 20 |
| Telomere length ≥75% (n,%) | 20, 20 | 25, 30 | 63, 24 | 47, 27 |
Subject characteristics by gravidity group. Education: years of formal schooling, Smoking: pack-yrs, cumulative smoking score, 1 pack-yr = 7000 cigarettes, Hypertension Meds: percentage of women taking medication for high blood pressure, SBP: systolic blood pressure, DBP: diastolic blood pressure, Cholesterol Meds: percentage of women taking medication for high cholesterol, LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Diabetes diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, GDM: diagnosed gestational diabetes, PTB: preterm birth, any birth occurring before 37 weeks gestation, Telomere length ≤ 25%: high-risk, shortened telomere length ≤ 25th percentile for the cohort, Telomere length ≥ 75%: low-risk, longer telomere length ≥ 75th percentile for the cohort.
†Indicates a difference between groups. Data are mean ± SE unless otherwise indicated.