A comparison of complications of pregnancy and delivery in morbidly obese and non-obese women

Abstract

Morbid obesity in pregnancy is a growing problem and is having an impact on morbidity, mortality as well as significantly increasing antenatal and intra-partum costs of pregnancy care. The incidence of morbid obesity in pregnancy in our unit was 7.5% during the study period and this was associated with statistically significant increased maternal and perinatal morbidity. It also led to increased costs because of multidisciplinary management of the pregnancies, increased investigations and hospital stay when compared with normal weight pregnant women. Looking after morbidly obese pregnant women is an expensive undertaking, as the cost of the care of one morbidly obese pregnant woman and her baby is several times that of the normal weight woman. Health planners need to factor in these costs which are set to escalate given the predicted increase in the obese population in the UK.

Overweight and obesity among Jordanian women and their social determinants

“…Women who are overweight are at greater risk of developing pregnancy complications and problems associated with labour and delivery and are more at risk of postpartum complications such as infection, haemorrhage and embolism. This means, maternal mortality and morbidity are significantly elevated among obese women [9,10]. Obesity among women has been linked to education [11][12][13], age [11,12,14], income [15,16] as well as marital status [17].…”

The surgical management of obesity in young women: consideration of the mother’s and baby’s health before, during, and after pregnancy

“…Certain maternity units require additional scans for obese women to determine fetal size and presentation [1,5], with obvious cost and resource implications. Palpation of fetal size, lay, and engagement also are made difficult with the obese woman [1,5], taking away a basic tool of clinical assessment.…”

“…In Northeast England, 12% of women with classes 2 and 3 obesity required medical assistance with conception [5]. Obesity reduces fertility due to changes in hormone secretion and carriage resulting in oligo-ovulation, anovulation, and subfertility.…”

“…1). A recent study from Northeast England describes a 7.5% local incidence of classes 2 and 3 obesity among the obstetric population [5].…”

The Behavior of Law: A Theoretical Integration

“…Obesity might also have deleterious effects for women of reproductive age. There is significant difference in mortality and morbidity patterns between obese and non-obese women [12,13], where values are high for former and the progeny of these mothers is known to be at a greater risk of developing noncommunicable disorders like CVD's, diabetes and obesity [14,15]. Therefore, it is vital to understand the causes and cultural correlates of this epidemic and what remedies can be utilized to help prevent it especially in women.…”