Overweight and obesity in mothers and risk of preterm birth and low birth weight infants: systematic review and meta-analyses

Abstract

Objective To determine the relation between overweight and obesity in mothers and preterm birth and low birth weight in singleton pregnancies in developed and developing countries. Design Systematic review and meta-analyses. Data sources Medline and Embase from their inceptions, and reference lists of identified articles. Study selection Studies including a reference group of women with normal body mass index that assessed the effect of overweight and obesity on two primary outcomes: preterm birth (before 37 weeks) and low birth weight (<2500 g). Data extraction Two assessors independently reviewed titles, abstracts, and full articles, extracted data using a piloted data collection form, and assessed quality. Data synthesis 84 studies (64 cohort and 20 casecontrol) were included, totalling 1 095 834 women. Although the overall risk of preterm birth was similar in overweight and obese women and women of normal weight, the risk of induced preterm birth was increased in overweight and obese women (relative risk 1.30, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.37). Although overall the risk of having an infant of low birth weight was decreased in overweight and obese women (0.84, 0.75 to 0.95), the decrease was greater in developing countries than in developed countries (0.58, 0.47 to 0.71 v 0.90, 0

Prepregnancy Obesity and Birth Outcomes

“…They are also more likely to give birth by c-section (12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Obese women are at greater risk for medically induced preterm birth (2,17) and women who are obese prepregnancy are less likely to initiate breastfeeding and breastfeed for shorter durations (18). However, these findings should be viewed cautiously because they are often based on cross-sectional comparisons across births.…”

Energy and protein intake during pregnancy in relation to preterm birth: A Case Control Study

“…There seems to be an upward trend [2,3], which contributes to almost 3.6 million preterm births accounting for 23.6% of the global preterm births reported each year [4]. Preterm birth has been consistently associated with maternal underweight and nutrient deficiencies during pregnancy [5][6][7][8][9]. Therefore, nutritional assessment needs to be an integral part of antenatal care and should be continued during pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of maternal, fetal and neonatal complications, as well as the short-and long-term adverse outcomes.…”

Does increasing body mass index affect cerclage efficacy?

“…4,5 However, it has been shown to be a significant risk factor for indicated preterm delivery. [5][6][7] Recent data indicate that preterm premature rupture of membranes is significantly increased in women with a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg m À2 . 7 Cervical insufficiency (CI) is a significant cause of preterm delivery and affects approximately 1% of all pregnancies.…”