Early pregnancy obesity (body mass index, BMI, ≥30 kg/m2) carries significant health implications.
A new study shows the impact of obesity in fetal and infant health. The results show the association between early pregnancy BMI and the risk of fetal and infant death in pregnancies not affected by congenital anomalies or pre-gestational diabetes.
Data on singleton pregnancies delivered during 2003–2005 at five hospitals were used. Logistic regression models were used to determine the crude and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of a spontaneous fetal death (≥20 weeks gestation) and infant death (aged up to 1 year), among underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese women compared with women of recommended BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2).
Obese women were at significantly increased risks of both fetal death [aOR = 2.32] and infant death [aOR = 1.97]. Continuous analyses revealed a V-shaped relationship between BMI and the risk of fetal and infant death, with a minimum risk at 23 kg/m2, and significantly increased risk thereafter for both fetal death.
Except for higher rates of pre-eclampsia among stillbirths, no specific cause of death could explain the increased odds of fetal and infant death among the obese.
This study concludes that early pregnancy obesity is significantly associated with fetal and infant death, independent of the known relationships with congenital anomalies and maternal pre-gestational diabetes.
Link to the study in the journal Human Reproduction
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