Pregnancy and delivery course in overweight and obese women

Introduction: Pregnancy and delivery in case of overweight women require special care. The main means of preventing obstetrical complications is promoting healthy lifestyle and pregnancy weight gain control among females planning the pregnancy, as well as prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy/delivery course monitoring. Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the pregnancy and delivery course in overweight and obese pregnant women. Material and methods: The study was based on a retrospective analysis of medical files of 132 pregnant women delivering in Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic in Tychy, Poland. The investigated group was divided into subgroups based on pre-pregnancy body mass index according to World Health Organization Criteria for obesity. The comparative analysis was then performed between the subgroups. Results: The prevalence of bleedings in pregnancy, pregnancy induced hypertension, diabetes and urinary tract infections was statistically higher in obese pregnant females. Similarly, the rate of shoulder dystocia was statistically higher in the obese and overweight subgroups of women. There were no significant differences between subgroups in mean neonate body length or mean Apgar scores. However, the highest neonate body weight was observer in subgroup of overweight females and those with pre-pregnancy normal BMI who gained more than 16 kilograms during pregnancy. Conclusions: 1. Excessive weight gain in pregnancy is associated with higher risk of pregnancy and delivery complications. 2. Both excessive pre-pregnancy body weight and excessive weight gain in pregnancy increase the risk of perinatal complications.