Healthy BMI during pregnancy leads to fewer complications

A large-scale new Scottish study finds that being at a healthy body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy is best when it comes to avoiding complications. Findings showed that women with a BMI that was too high or too low were at increased risk for complications. Published last week online in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the study involved data from nearly 110,000 pregnant women in Scotland. "Longer-term benefits of reducing maternal obesity will show improvements, not only in the health outcomes of mothers and their babies, but the workload and cost to current maternity services," said study co-author Dr. Fiona Denison of Queens's Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh. In the study, pregnant women were divided into five groups based on BMI. Compared to normal-weight (a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) women, those in other weight categories -- both underweight and overweight -- had more complications and longer hospitalizations after birth. Severely obese women (a BMI higher than 35) had a three-fold increased risk of hypertension and gestational diabetes compared to normal women, the findings showed. Underweight women (a BMI less than 18.5) had an eight percent increased risk for hospital admission, while overweight (a BMI of 25-29.9), obese (a BMI of 30-35) and severely obese women's risk grew substantially more -- 16 percent, 45 percent, and 88 percent respectively.