Analysis of Weight Gain in Pregnant Women in the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic – Is It A Significant Problem?

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Abstract Background Obesity is a multifactorial disease, difficult to treat, associated with strong social stigma. For many patients, the use of a traditional reduced‑calorie diet and physical activity is ineffective or results in only short‑term weight loss. Objectives The aim of the study was to assess changes in body weight at the time of diagnosis of pregnancy and in the 36th week of pregnancy in a group of patients in National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw (PIM MSWiA). Material and methods 40 pregnant women under the care of a general prac‑ titioner in Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic in PIM MSWiA were included into the retrospective study. The body weight of women at the time of diagnosis of pregnancy and in the 36th week of pregnancy was analyzed. Results The average age of the analyzed women was 32.9+/‑5.05 years. For 80% of the women, it was the first pregnancy. Baseline body mass index (BMI) was 21.67+/‑2.03 kg/m². The average body weight before pregnancy was 61.7+/‑7.67 kg, and at 36 weeks of gestation, it was 73.48+/‑7.64 kg. The mean weight gain at 36 weeks of gestation was 11.97+/‑3.99 kg. Two patients who were overweight in the early stages of pregnancy gained weight of 2 and 11 kg, respectively. Only three women with normal weight before pregnancy gained more than 18 kg during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in three women, whose pre ‑pregnancy body weight was 62, 53, 67 kg and BMI was 22.23, 18.55 and 22.12 kg/m², respectively. Conclusions In primary health care in PIM MSWiA, the majority of pregnant women are of normal weight and achieve normal weight gain during pregnancy. Education in the field of proper lifestyle should be an essential element of patient care especially in primary health care.