Numerous are the health risks of having an inadequate body weight, and pregnancy is no exception. For pregnancy to come to fruition and without risks, the ideal is that the woman is at her ideal weight, neither too obese nor too thin.
Obese women and those who weigh less than recommended in relation to their height are more likely to suffer problems during pregnancy and childbirth, according to a new Spanish study published in the "Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine."
We know that during pregnancy obesity has been related to different complications, hypertension disorders, gestational diabetes, premature delivery, colonization by group B streptococcus, macrosomia of the fetus and unexplained death of the fetus during delivery.
But regarding the influence of low weight on pregnancy and its relationship with perinatal complications There is not so much data. Researchers at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada wanted to see if extreme thinness is also a risk.
The study includes a sample of 3,016 pregnant women: 2,597 with normal weight, 251 with severe or morbid obesity, and 168 with extreme thinness. It reveals that obese mothers are at greater risk of developing the aforementioned risks, in addition to being more frequent to have labor induced or caesarean section and that there is perinatal mortality.
It is also shown that newborns of women with obesity are fatter. In addition, the risk of fetal macrosomia is 2.3 times higher in this group compared to women of normal weight.
For all this, women with severe or morbid obesity should receive tips on how to reduce weight, even before achieving pregnancy, and recognize the early warning signs of possible complications.
On the other hand, women with low weight are more likely to suffer from oligohydramnios (decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid) and to give birth to babies with a low weight, so the study authors point out that the group as that of women with low weight should also be considered as high risk for pregnancy.
