Environmental pollution is a major public health concern with implications across all stages of life, including pregnancy. Maternal exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes such as low birth weight and fetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition affecting approximately 15% of pregnancies and contributing to up to 10% of perinatal mortality. Notably, nearly 72% of unexplained fetal deaths are linked to fetuses with an estimated weight below the 10th percentile.To determine whether exposure to environmental pollutants during the first trimester of pregnancy is a risk factor for intrauterine growth restriction; A cross-sectional, comparative, retrospective, analytical study was conducted to evaluate exposure to different concentrations of environmental pollutants during the first trimester of pregnancy: PM10, PM2.5 and ozone, and their association with IUGR. As the data did not follow a normal distribution, statistical analysis compared two dependent (or “paired”) samples using the Wilcoxon test; values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Overall, the results suggest that, in the studied population, exposure to environmental pollutants in the first trimester of pregnancy was not significantly associated with intrauterine growth restriction. The findings emphasize the importance of maternal comorbilities and demographic disparatiess as decisive determinants of fetal growth. Future multicenter studies with larger sample sizes and individualized exposure assessment methods are needed to clarify the true impact of environmental pollution on perinatal outcomes.

Naomi Díaz Silva is a fourth-year medical resident in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMAE Hospital de Gineco-Obstetricia No. 23, accredited by the University of Monterrey (UDEM). She earned her Medical and Surgical Degree from the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca.She has a particular interest in research on environmental pollution and its impact on maternal–fetal health, with a specific focus on its association with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and long-term perinatal outcomes. This interest motivated her to undertake a transversal study, examining maternal exposure to environmental pollutants and its association which she completed with distinction. Her research was conducted under the supervision of Dr Almilcar Caballero Trejo, Programme Director of Infectology Department whose mentorship provided strategic academic guidance and ensured adherence to rigorous scientific standards.