News | Maternal Weight Management May Reduce Pregnancy Complications
A University of Bristol-led study found that supporting women of reproductive age in maintaining a healthy weight could reduce the risk of several pregnancy complications. The international study was published in BMC Medicine on January 29, 2024.
Global obesity rates have risen sharply, including among women of reproductive age. Earlier studies linked maternal weight to pregnancy complications, but whether weight directly caused these associations or whether factors such as education and lifestyle explained them remained disputed. The new study addressed earlier confounding and clarified causal links between higher maternal weight and complications.
Dr. Carolina Borges, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Bristol, said: "Understanding the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy weight on pregnancy and perinatal health is vital for future policy and for supporting healthy lives among women of reproductive age."
The team studied data from more than 400,000 mothers across 14 studies in Europe and North America using three methods. First, they analyzed associations between maternal body mass index (BMI) and pregnancy complications. To test causality, they also examined paternal BMI and complications. Finally, they used Mendelian randomization, a genetic method less affected by confounding.
Higher maternal BMI was significantly associated with 14 of 20 pregnancy complications, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery or induced labor, high infant birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Each 1 kg/m² increase in maternal BMI, for example, raised preeclampsia risk by 10%.
However, higher BMI was associated with lower risks of anemia during pregnancy and low birth weight. Each 1 kg/m² increase reduced the risk of low birth weight by 4%.
Professor Deborah Lawlor, professor of epidemiology, MRC investigator, and BHF chair at Bristol, said: "By comparing results across methods, we have greater confidence in findings that consistently point to a causal effect."
Although the study found causal links with several complications, findings for depression, miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth remained uncertain and require further research.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), British Heart Foundation (BHF), European Research Council (ERC), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Research Council of Norway, and Wellcome Trust.
News | Maternal Weight Management May Reduce Pregnancy Complications
News | Maternal Weight Management May Reduce Pregnancy Complications
A University of Bristol-led study found that supporting women of reproductive age in maintaining a healthy weight could reduce the risk of several pregnancy complications. The international study was published in BMC Medicine on January 29, 2024.
Global obesity rates have risen sharply, including among women of reproductive age. Earlier studies linked maternal weight to pregnancy complications, but whether weight directly caused these associations or whether factors such as education and lifestyle explained them remained disputed. The new study addressed earlier confounding and clarified causal links between higher maternal weight and complications.
Dr. Carolina Borges, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Bristol, said: "Understanding the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy weight on pregnancy and perinatal health is vital for future policy and for supporting healthy lives among women of reproductive age."
The team studied data from more than 400,000 mothers across 14 studies in Europe and North America using three methods. First, they analyzed associations between maternal body mass index (BMI) and pregnancy complications. To test causality, they also examined paternal BMI and complications. Finally, they used Mendelian randomization, a genetic method less affected by confounding.
Higher maternal BMI was significantly associated with 14 of 20 pregnancy complications, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, cesarean delivery or induced labor, high infant birth weight, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Each 1 kg/m² increase in maternal BMI, for example, raised preeclampsia risk by 10%.
However, higher BMI was associated with lower risks of anemia during pregnancy and low birth weight. Each 1 kg/m² increase reduced the risk of low birth weight by 4%.
Professor Deborah Lawlor, professor of epidemiology, MRC investigator, and BHF chair at Bristol, said: "By comparing results across methods, we have greater confidence in findings that consistently point to a causal effect."
Although the study found causal links with several complications, findings for depression, miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth remained uncertain and require further research.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), British Heart Foundation (BHF), European Research Council (ERC), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Research Council of Norway, and Wellcome Trust.
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