Obesity linked to pregnancy complications
12 February 2009
Low birthweight, premature birth and pre-eclampsia are among the problems that can affect obese women who are pregnant for the first time, according to researchers from King’s College London.
The researchers examined data from 385 patients from the UK and the Netherlands. They found that 19 per cent of babies born to obese first-time mothers had a lower than normal birthweight. The average for the national population is ten per cent.
"The large proportion of small babies was particularly unexpected as obesity is more often associated with the birth of overweight babies," said Professor Lucilla Poston, lead author on the study.
Around 12 per cent of patients developed pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal condition that raises the blood pressure of the mother. The study found that the risk became bigger as the patient’s BMI (body mass index; the most commonly used measure of obesity) increased.
The number of premature births was almost double the national average. Premature birth is associated with the risk of brain damage, breathing difficulties, learning problems and greater susceptibility to infection for the infant.
"We must now start to consider first-time pregnancy as an additional problem in obese pregnant women, who we know are already more likely than thinner women to have a complicated pregnancy," said Professor Poston.
Image credit: Anthea Sieveking, Wellcome Images
References
Rajasingam D et al. A prospective study of pregnancy outcome and biomarkers of oxidative stress in nulliparous obese women. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, published online before print 9 February 2009.