Weight excess before pregnancy: complications and cost

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the incidence of pregnancy complications and the cost of prenatal care in patients with pregravid overweight.

Design: Retrospective study of patients dispatched into four groups: normal weight, moderate overweight, obesity, massive obesity.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Montpellier.

Subjects: One hundred and twelve pregnancies among 89 overweight women, compared with 54 healthy normal weight controls.

Main outcome measures: Incidence of maternal complications, complications of labor, duration of hospitalization.

Results: Hypertension, toxemia, gestational diabetes, insulin treatment, urinary tract infections and macrosomia were positively correlated with maternal pregravid weight excess. Mean duration of hospitalization and overall cost were also strongly related to maternal weight. Cesarean section rate increased only in morbidly obese women. No materno-fetal mortality was observed in our study.

Conclusion: Even moderate overweight is a significant risk factor for obstetrical complications and needs a multidisciplinary antenatal management in order to prevent materno-fetal complications.