Correlation between obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus, and pregnancy outcomes: an overview

Abstract

Obesity has been identified mainly as a raise in the body's adiposity leading to prolonged overshoot of caloric intake over expenditure. Obesity has significant health-altering implications which have been shown to be implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of other diseases through its extensive physiological assaults. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been an increasing epidemic worldwide. The number of obese births was even on the increase, with an increasing number of women of reproductive age registering as obese. Obesity is related to adverse perinatal outcomes and increased morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. The potential risk for multiple antenatal, postpartum, intrapartum, and neonatal complications is maternal obesity. Greater risk of developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), pre-eclampsia, risk of venous embolism, increased need for labor induction, and cesarean sections in the mother have been recorded in a comprehensive analysis of pregnancy complications associated with obesity. The link between obesity, gestational diabetes, and pregnancy outcomes will be briefly shown in this article.

Keywords: correlation; diabetes; obesity; reproductive health.