Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To perform analyses of maternal and fetal complications in overweight and obese women. METHODS: Eighty-seven women with singleton pregnancies with BMI > 25-29.9 kg/m(2) and 83 women with singleton pregnancies with BMI > 30 kg/m(2) were studied for maternal and fetal complications at Nehru Hospital, B.R.D. Medical College, Gorakhpur during June 2007-October 2008. Forty-five women with BMI 20-24.9 kg/m(2) were selected to serve as control. RESULTS: Compared with women with normal BMI, the outcomes which were more common in overweight and obese women were gestation hypertension (p < 0.05); pre-eclampsia (p < 0.001); preterm delivery (p < 0.05); induction of labor (p < 0.05); instrumental vaginal delivery (p > 0.05); cesarean section (p < 0.01); increased operative time (p < 0.01); still births (p < 0.05); early neonatal deaths (p < 0.05); Apgar score < 7 at 5 min (p < 0.05); and admission to NICU (p < 0.001). No significant differences were noted among groups regarding hypoglycemia hyperbilirubinemia and respiratory distress. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity are definite risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This may be due to altered metabolic state in obesity.