Gaining Weight in Between Pregnancies Could Lead to Pregnancy Complications

Obesity is a growing problem worldwide. The World Health Organization considers it a major global health threat. In Sweden, during the years of the study (1992-2001), the percentage of pregnant women either overweight or obese increased from 25 percent to 36 percent. In the U.S., the prevalence of obesity in women aged 20-39 years jumped from 9 percent in 1960-1962 to 28 percent in 1999-2000.

A number of studies over the years have found an association between obesity and pregnancy complications but there was little evidence of a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The researchers, Eduardo Villamor, Assistant Professor of International Nutrition at HSPH and Sven Cnattingius, Professor of Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet, looked at a study population of more than 150,000 Swedish women having their first and second births between 1992 and 2001. They calculated BMI at the first prenatal visit of each pregnancy (BMI is weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). The researchers then calculated the difference between BMI at the beginning of the first and second pregnancies. The adverse outcomes that Villamor and Cnattingius looked at during the second pregnancy included maternal complications, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, gestational hyptertension and caesarean delivery, and perinatal complications, such as stillbirth and large-for-gestational-age birth.

The results showed that weight gain between first and second pregnancies was associated with an increased risk of all these overweight and obesity-related adverse outcomes. A gain of one to two BMI units increased the risk of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension or large-for-gestational age birth an average of 20 to 40 percent. A gain of three or more BMI units showed a 63 percent greater chance of stillbirth compared to a gain of less than one BMI unit and also a greater effect on all other complications.

Additionally, the researchers found that the risk of adverse outcomes increased even in women who were not overweight, but who gained a modest amount of weight between pregnancies. For example, if a woman who was 5 ft., 5 in., tall and weighed 139 lbs. (giving her a BMI of 23, not considered overweight) gained 6.6 lbs. (1 BMI unit) between her first and second pregnancies, her average risk of gestational diabetes would increase by more than 30 percent. If she gained 12.2 pounds (2 BMI units), her risk would increase 100 percent. The risk would continue to climb if she gained more weight and became obese. And opposite: weight loss before pregnancy in overweight women appeared to lower their risk of pregnancy complications.

“Previous studies have looked at the risk of pregnancy complications in relation to a snapshot measure of pre-pregnant weight”, says Dr. Sven Cnattingius. “These studies of course found that obesity appeared to increase the frequency of such complications. But in our study we went further back in time, to look at how women arrived to that pre-pregnant weight.

One limitation of the study was the possibility that other risk factors or illnesses could be associated with both weight gain and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Whether weight gain between pregnancies could have been due to lack of weight loss after the first pregnancy or to excessive weight gain during that initial pregnancy, was difficult to differentiate. But overall, the authors believe the results provide strong evidence that weight gain before pregnancy could lead to a number of complications of pregnancy.

“Women of normal weight should avoid gaining weight between pregnancies, that is a key public health message from our study”, says Dr Cnattingius. “Overweight and obese women are likely to benefit from weight loss if they are planning to become pregnant. But additional research is needed to find the most effective interventions that prevent interpregnancy weight gain and postpartum weight retention.”

The study was supported by grants from the Karolinska Institutet; Dr. Villamor is supported in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Development.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Sven Cnattingius, Karolinska Institutet
Phone: +46 8 52486190
Email: sven.cnattingius@ki.se
Katarina Sternudd, Press Officer, Karolinska Institutet
Phone: +46 8 524 838 95 or +46-70-224 38 95
Email: katarina.sternudd@ki.se
Todd Datz, Assistant Director for External Communications, HSPH
Phone: +1 617-432-3952
Email: tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu