Contrary to previous reports, mean maternal weight and mean body composition values remain unchanged in the first trimester of pregnancy. This has implications for guidelines on maternal weight gain during pregnancy. We also recommend that calculation of BMI in pregnancy and gestational weight gain should be based on accurate early pregnancy measurements, and not on self-reported or prepregnancy measurements.

No abstract

: III.

The issue of maternal obesity has become a major public health problem. Internationally, the diagnosis of obesity is based on body mass index (BMI) that is, weight in kg/height in m2. While epidemiological associations have been shown between different BMI categories and adverse clinical outcomes, there is also a growing realisation that BMI has significant limitations. In this review, we assess current methods to measure body fat and, in particular, their application in pregnant women.

No abstract

No abstract

Visceral fat is the main determinant of circulating maternal leptin in the first trimester of pregnancy. This raises the possibility that maternal leptin in early pregnancy may be a marker for the development of metabolic syndrome, including diabetes mellitus.

Background. Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide that upregulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. It is an essential element for the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and ovulation. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) expose alteration in both GnRH and LH secretion levels. Objective. This paper aims to evaluate serum kisspeptin levels in healthy and polycystic ovarian syndrome women. Furthermore, it investigates the effect of obesity and age on circulating kisspeptin levels in both normal and PCOS women. Moreover, it points out the correlation between kisspeptin and other hormonal parameters. Methods and Patients. One hundred women (60 are with PCOS and 40 are normal) were enrolled in the study. Five milliliter samples of blood from all the patients and control women were obtained twice during the menstrual cycle. All the study samples were classified depending on the age factor for several subgroups. Results. Kisspeptin levels were higher in PCOS patients than those in the normal group. Kisspeptin correlated with serum free testosterone level (r=0.26). In healthy women, preovulatory kisspeptin levels were higher than follicular kisspeptin levels (P<0.05), while this difference was insignificant in PCOS patients. The variation in serum kisspeptin levels between overweight/obese and normal-weight women was insignificant. In normal women, serum kisspeptin levels were higher in women >35 years than those <24 years at (P=0.03). Conclusion. The serum kisspeptin level is higher in PCOS women. Its levels fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, but these fluctuations are disturbed in PCOS women. The effect of BMI on serum kisspeptin levels is insignificant, and kisspeptin serum levels increase with age.