Gestational Weight Gain in Japanese Women With Favorable Perinatal Outcomes.

Abstract

BackgroundWe examined the optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) in the healthy Japanese women with favorable perinatal outcomes of singleton pregnancy.MethodsWe calculated the average GWG in the women whose height was 150 - 164 cm with favorable perinatal outcomes set for this study. The women were categorized to underweight, normal, overweight and obese based on the pre-pregnancy body mass index categories according to the Institute of Medicine guideline.ResultsThe average GWG in the normal-weight women with the favorable perinatal outcomes was 11.4 ± 3.7 kg. It was not significantly different from that in the underweight and overweight women (12.0 ± 3.4 and 10.0 ± 4.8 kg) by Student’s t-test. The average GWG in the obese women was significantly lower than that in the other three groups (3.2 ± 2.2 kg, P < 0.01).ConclusionBased on the current results, the optimal GWG for the Japanese women without obesity was found to be 10 - 12 kg.