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Nutrients
Volume 18
Issue 2
10.3390/nu18020243
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Article

Growth Recovery After Fetal Growth Restriction: A 10-Year Follow-Up of Term-Born Children

by
Anca Adam-Raileanu
1,
Alin Horatiu Nedelcu
1,
Ancuta Lupu
1,*,
Viorel Țarcă
2,*,
Laura Bozomitu
1,
Lorenza Forna
1,
Ileana Ioniuc
1,
Cristina Maria Mihai
3,
Tatiana Chisnoiu
3,
Elena Țarcă
1,
Ionela Daniela Morariu
1,
Emil Anton
1,
Bogdan Puha
1 and
Vasile Valeriu Lupu
1
1
Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
2
Faculty of Medicine, Apollonia University, 700511 Iasi, Romania
3
Faculty of Medicine, Ovidius University, 900470 Constanta, Romania
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2026, 18(2), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020243
Submission received: 6 December 2025 / Revised: 5 January 2026 / Accepted: 9 January 2026 / Published: 13 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Children's Growth and Development)
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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) describes the situation of a fetus that fails to reach its genetic growth potential. Postnatal catch-up growth represents a central adaptive process, yet its timing and magnitude vary widely and may influence one individual’s state of health and later metabolic risk. This study aimed to characterize longitudinal growth trajectories from birth to 10 years in children born at term, affected antenatally by growth restriction, with a particular focus on the influence of sex and FGR severity on catch-up growth. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study including 170 term-born children with documented FGR, admitted to a tertiary pediatric center between 2019 and 2023. Anthropometric data (weight, length/height, BMI) at birth, 1, 2, 5, and 10 years were converted to World Health Organization (WHO) age- and sex-adjusted z-scores. Catch-up growth was defined as an increase of >0.67 SD. Participants were stratified by sex and FGR severity (moderate: 10th–3rd percentile; severe: <3rd percentile). Results: Severe FGR infants exhibited significantly lower birth anthropometrics but demonstrated more pronounced early catch-up in weight and length at 1 and 2 years (p < 0.01). By 5 and 10 years, growth trajectories converged between severity groups, with no differences in BMI at any age. Sex influenced absolute anthropometric values but not the probability of achieving catch-up growth. Conclusions: Among term-born FGR infants, severity—but not sex—shapes early postnatal growth. Despite early deficits, most children achieved substantial catch-up, underscoring the need for careful monitoring to support healthy, proportionate growth and mitigate subsequent metabolic risk.
Keywords: fetal growth restriction; intrauterine growth restriction; catch-up; recovery; term-born fetal growth restriction; intrauterine growth restriction; catch-up; recovery; term-born

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MDPI and ACS Style

Adam-Raileanu, A.; Nedelcu, A.H.; Lupu, A.; Țarcă, V.; Bozomitu, L.; Forna, L.; Ioniuc, I.; Mihai, C.M.; Chisnoiu, T.; Țarcă, E.; et al. Growth Recovery After Fetal Growth Restriction: A 10-Year Follow-Up of Term-Born Children. Nutrients 2026, 18, 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020243

AMA Style

Adam-Raileanu A, Nedelcu AH, Lupu A, Țarcă V, Bozomitu L, Forna L, Ioniuc I, Mihai CM, Chisnoiu T, Țarcă E, et al. Growth Recovery After Fetal Growth Restriction: A 10-Year Follow-Up of Term-Born Children. Nutrients. 2026; 18(2):243. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020243

Chicago/Turabian Style

Adam-Raileanu, Anca, Alin Horatiu Nedelcu, Ancuta Lupu, Viorel Țarcă, Laura Bozomitu, Lorenza Forna, Ileana Ioniuc, Cristina Maria Mihai, Tatiana Chisnoiu, Elena Țarcă, and et al. 2026. "Growth Recovery After Fetal Growth Restriction: A 10-Year Follow-Up of Term-Born Children" Nutrients 18, no. 2: 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020243

APA Style

Adam-Raileanu, A., Nedelcu, A. H., Lupu, A., Țarcă, V., Bozomitu, L., Forna, L., Ioniuc, I., Mihai, C. M., Chisnoiu, T., Țarcă, E., Morariu, I. D., Anton, E., Puha, B., & Lupu, V. V. (2026). Growth Recovery After Fetal Growth Restriction: A 10-Year Follow-Up of Term-Born Children. Nutrients, 18(2), 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020243

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