Study: How Weight Affects First Pregnancy Outcomes

Pregnancy News

Obie Editorial Team

Bhattacharya S, Campbell DM, Liston WA, Bhattacharya S.
BMC Public Health. 2007 Jul 24;7:168. Links

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of obesity in young women is a major public health concern. These trends have a major impact on pregnancy outcomes in these women, which have been documented by several researchers. In a population-based cohort study, using routinely collected data, this paper examines the effect of increasing Body Mass Index (BMI) on pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous women delivering singleton babies.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study, based on all nulliparous women delivering singleton babies in Aberdeen between 1976 and 2005. Women were categorized into five groups--underweight (BMI < 20 Kg/m2), normal (BMI 20-24.9 Kg/m2) overweight (BMI 25-29.9 Kg/m2), obese (BMI 30-34.9 Kg/m2) and morbidly obese (BMI > 35 Kg/m2). Obstetric and perinatal outcomes were compared by univariate and multivariate analyses.

CONCLUSION: Increasing BMI is associated with increased incidence of pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, macrosomia, induction of labor and cesarean delivery; while underweight women had better pregnancy outcomes than women with normal BMI.