Aggressive efforts needed to curb maternal obesityJuly 13, 2007Most women get it - smoking and drinking don't mix with pregnancy, but not so with excess weight before and during pregnancy. Physicians need to be aggressively counseling women about the importance of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight, according to Temple University obstetrician-gynecologist, Vani Dandolu, M.D. In a recent analysis, Dandolu and colleagues found that obesity, increasingly common in pregnant women, raises the risks to mother and baby. Overweight and obese pregnant women are at higher risk of C-Section, and less likely to breastfeed, while their children are at higher risk of high birth weight and childhood obesity. Specifically, over half of the overweight and obese women gained excessive weight during pregnancy. Further over half of the obese women had a C-section, almost twice the rates of women who were normal BMI (body mass index) before pregnancy. "While public education campaigns have increased the awareness of adverse effects of smoking and alcohol during pregnancy, there is limited public awareness regarding the harmful effects of high BMI during pregnancy," Dandolu said. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that pregnancy weight gain be modified according to pre-pregnancy weight. But Dandolu and colleagues go further recommending that both pre-pregnancy weight and weight gain during pregnancy need to be controlled, stating, "Maternal obesity is a well known risk factor for obesity and chronic disease in childhood and starting pregnancy at ideal body weight will have far reaching benefits." The researchers offer the following recommendations: * Body mass index should be measured as part of vital signs at routine annual check-ups and all women of child bearing age should be counseled to achieve and maintain optimal BMI. * Preconception counseling programs should include education regarding the poor maternal and perinatal outcomes among the obese and overweight. * Women with high BMI planning a pregnancy should be counseled to participate in intensive nutrition programs aimed to achieve optimum BMI prior to conception. * Encouraging breastfeeding can partially help to decrease childhood obesity and also help mother to return quickly to pre-pregnancy weight. The Institute of Medicine recommends the following range of weight gain for pregnancy based on pre-pregnancy BMI: * For underweight women with a BMI of less than 19.8, a weight gain during pregnancy of 28-40 pounds is recommended. * For normal weight women with a BMI between 19.8 and 26 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 25-35 pounds. * For overweight women with a BMI between 26.1 and 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 15-25 pounds. * For obese women with a BMI greater than 29 the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is about 15 pounds. In the study, published in the May 2007 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology, Dandolu and colleagues analyzed information from a sample of 7660 women using the New Jersey state Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System database: 18 percent of mothers were obese, 13 percent were overweight and 16 percent were underweight. Black non-Hispanic mothers were more likely to be obese and overweight than white non-Hispanic mothers. U.S.-born mothers were more likely to be obese and overweight than foreign-born mothers. And older women who'd previously given birth were more likely to be obese than younger women who had not. The study is among the first to show a correlation between high pre-pregnancy weight, excessive pregnancy weight gain and post-partum consequences. Temple University |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Pregnancy Current Events and Pregnancy News Articles Many pregnant women avoid HIV screening in Africa 'Prevention is the best cure' is a common expression, but what happens if preventative measures are not used? A large proportion of pregnant Ugandan women are going out of their way not to be HIV tested, increasing the risk of mother-to-child transmission. Smithsonian scientists find the frog legs trade may facilitate spread of pathogens Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder. Women at risk from vitamin A deficiency Almost half of UK women could be suffering from a lack of vitamin A due to a previously undiscovered genetic variation, scientists at Newcastle University have found. Pilot study relates phthalate exposure to less-masculine play by boys A study of 145 preschool children reports, for the first time, that when the concentrations of two common phthalates in mothers' prenatal urine are elevated their sons are less likely to play with male-typical toys and games, such as trucks and play fighting. Enjoying school key to tackling teenage pregnancy Youth development programmes that tackle deprivation and help children and young people enjoy school are successful in reducing teenage pregnancy rates. Faithful mothers have healthier babies Faculty of 1000 reviewers examine a study from New Zealand on whether prolonged exposure to the father's semen protects new mothers against pre-eclampsia and having an undersized baby Playing sport up to the end of pregnancy is healthy for the baby and the mother Contrary to more conservative customs, exercising up to the end of pregnancy has no harmful effect on the weight or size of the foetus. Mayo researchers find robotic repair for vaginal prolapse has significant benefits New Mayo Clinic research has found that robotic surgery for vaginal prolapse dramatically reduces patient hospital stay and recovery time. Expectant moms, babies subjects of new Singapore study to prevent obesity and diabetes in adults Three Singapore biomedical institutions have launched a major, long-term study of pregnant mothers and their fetuses as well as infant children to determine just how profoundly environmental factors early in life influence the onset of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in later years. More Pregnancy Current Events and Pregnancy News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||