Abstract
BackgroundOverweight and obesity are associated with pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes, posing short and long-term risks for maternal and child health. This study evaluated maternal, delivery and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by overweight and obesity.MethodsThis prospective cross-sectional study included 258 pregnant women. According to prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), participants were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and analysis of variance followed by the Tukey test. Logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals (p < 0.05).ResultsMost women ≥ 35 years old were overweight (22.7 %) and obese (27.6 %). Prepregnancy diabetes was significantly associated with obesity (15.7 %, p < 0.000). Obese women showed the lowest weight gain (9.6 ± 7.5Kg). Overweight and obese women practiced physical exercise more frequently (p = 0.010) than normal weight women. A greater proportion of obese mothers (13.4 %) had large for gestational age babies (p = 0.021), with higher thoracic circumference (33.6 ± 2.0 cm) and abdominal circumference (31.6 ± 2.3 cm). Obesity increased the risk of developing hypertension (OR = 7.0; 3.1-15.9), hyperglycemic disturbances (OR = 5.5; 2.9-10.6) and HbA1c ≥ 6.5 % (OR = 3.7; 1.2-11.1). The infants born to obese mothers had longer hospital stay (3.9 ± 3.9 days) (p = 0.005).ConclusionOur results confirm that obesity in pregnancy can lead to adverse outcomes, and underscore the importance of identifying and treating inadequate weight status during pregnancy.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity are associated with pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes, posing short and long-term risks for maternal and child health
Overweight and obesity predominated among pregnant women ≥ 35 years, whereas normal weight was most frequently observed among pregnant adolescents (≤19 years old) (p < 0.001)
Most overweight and obese women engaged in physical activity during pregnancy (p = 0.010), and developed either gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (p < 0.001) or mild gestational hyperglycemia (MGH) (p = 0.005)
Summary
Overweight and obesity are associated with pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes, posing short and long-term risks for maternal and child health. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excess accumulation of adipose tissue in the body. These conditions are caused by a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. A number of factors, such as water retention, uterine growth, formation of fetal tissues and placenta, and increasing amniotic fluid volume, can limit the evaluation of maternal body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy [7, 8]. These guidelines, recommend assessing a woman’s nutritional status during pregnancy using a specific tool [6] which was developed based on Atalah’s curve [9] and IOM recommendations [8]
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