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Pregnancy and obesity: Know the risks
Concerned about pregnancy and obesity? Understand the risks of obesity during pregnancy — plus steps to promote a healthy pregnancy.
By Mayo Clinic staffBeing obese during pregnancy can have a major impact on your health and your baby's health. Find out about the possible complications, recommendations for weight gain and what you can do to promote a healthy pregnancy.
What's considered obese?
Obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat. A formula based on height and weight — called the body mass index (BMI) — is often used to determine if a person is obese.
| BMI | Weight status |
|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5-24.9 | Normal |
| 25-29.9 | Overweight |
| 30 and higher | Obese |
| 40 and higher | Extreme obesity |
Could obesity affect my ability to get pregnant?
Being obese can harm your fertility by inhibiting normal ovulation. Obesity can also affect the outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF). As a woman's BMI increases, so does the risk of unsuccessful IVF.
How might obesity affect my pregnancy?
Being obese during pregnancy increases the risk of various pregnancy complications, including:
- Gestational diabetes. Women who are obese are more likely to have diabetes that develops during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) than are women who have a normal weight.
- Preeclampsia. Women who are obese are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy (preeclampsia).
- Infection. Women who are obese during pregnancy are at increased risk of urinary tract infections. Obesity also increases the risk of postpartum infection, whether the baby is delivered vaginally or by C-section.
- Thrombosis. Women who are obese during pregnancy are at increased risk of a serious condition in which a blood clot forms inside a blood vessel (thrombosis).
- Obstructive sleep apnea. Women who are obese during pregnancy might be at increased risk of a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts (obstructive sleep apnea). Pregnancy might also worsen existing obstructive sleep apnea.
- Overdue pregnancy. Obesity increases the risk that pregnancy will continue beyond the expected due date.
- Labor problems. Labor induction is more common in women who are obese. Obesity can also interfere with the use of certain types of pain medication, such as an epidural block.
- C-section. Obesity during pregnancy increases the likelihood of elective and emergency C-sections. Obesity also increases the risk of C-section complications, such as delayed healing and wound infections. Women who are obese are also less likely to have a successful vaginal delivery after a C-section (VBAC).
- Pregnancy loss. Obesity increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
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References
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- Nuthalapaty FS, et al. The impact of obesity on fertility and pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Jan. 16, 2012.
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- Committee to Reexamine IOM Pregnancy Weight Guidelines, Food and Nutrition Board, and Board on Children, Youth and Families. Weight gain during pregnancy: Reexamining the guidelines. Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. http://www.nap.edu. Accessed Jan. 19, 2012.
- Staying healthy and safe. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/staying-healthy-safe.cfm. Accessed Feb. 3, 2012.
- Loret de Mola JR. Obesity and its relationship to infertility in men and women. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2009;36:336.
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- Baardman ME, et al. Combined adverse effects of maternal smoking and high body mass index on heart development in offspring: Evidence for interaction? Heart. 2012;98:474.
- Fetal dystocia. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/print/gynecology_and_obstetrics/abnormalities_and_complications_of_labor_and_delivery/fetal_dystocia.html. Accessed Feb. 1, 2012.
- Catalano PM. Management of obesity in pregnancy. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007;109:419.
- Davies GAL, et al. SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines No. 239: Obesity in pregnancy. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2010;110:167.
- Aviram A, et al. Maternal obesity: Implications for pregnancy outcome and long-terms risks - A link to maternal nutrition. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2011;115:S6.
- Routine prenatal care. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. http://www.icsi.org/guidelines_and_more/gl_os_prot/womens_health/prenatal_care_4/prenatal_care__routine__3.html. Accessed Feb. 3, 2012.
- Defining overweight and obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/defining.html. Accessed Feb. 3, 2012.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 548: Weight gain during pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2013;121:210.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 549: Obesity in pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2013;121:213.
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