New Guidelines For Obesity - Pregnant Women That Are Overweight, Should Gain Less Weight During Preg

By Author: Jamie Hanson
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Thanks to The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council new U.S. weight-gain guidelines for obese pregnant women were released and according to them "eating for two" is no longer advisable.

The old myth is that gaining weight (25 - 35 lbs) during pregnancy can reduce the risks of a miscarriage. Doctors and health-care providers have been following these guidelines issued by the ACOG (American College of Obstetricians) to all pregnant patients.

The new guidelines stem from growing evidence linking weight gain before and after pregnancy to a number of health problems for both mother and baby. Overweight and obese women are at a higher risk of several health complications such as preeclampsia, hypertension, gestational diabetes, Cesarean Section and postpartum infections and also put their babies at risk of birth defects and childhood obesity.

Specialists think that the new guidelines were necessary in order to change weight patterns among American women, considering the fact that two-thirds of U.S. women of reproductive age are obese.

Women should be aware that gaining weight during pregnancy ...
... contributes to obesity, elevates risks of heart disease and stroke and it makes it that much harder for overweight women to return to their normal weight after pregnancy.

For decades, we thought that in order to make sure that women were healthy, they needed to be round and chubby when pregnant, this idea has changed and the new guidelines recommend a specific and relatively narrow range of gain for obese women and they are formulated as a range of weight gain for each category of prepregnancy BMI.

New recommendations for total and rate of weight gain during pregnancy, pre-pregnancy BMI.

Prepregnancy BMI / BMI+ (kg/m2) / Total Weight Gain Range (lbs)
Underweight / Less than 18.5 / 28-40
Normal Weight / 18.5-24.9 / 25-35
Overweight / 25-30 / 15-25
Obese / Greater than 30 / 11-20

It is important that women use these guidelines in concert with their health care providers' judgment. And they receive preconception counseling that includes their weight, height, physical activity and access to contraception for overweight or obese women who decide to use birth control as they move toward a healthier weight.

Women should not only be within a normal BMI range when they conceive but also should gain within the ranges recommended in the new guidelines.

In the past, a 5-foot-5 woman who started pregnancy at 180 pounds would have been urged to finish her pregnancy at 195 to 205 pounds. Under the new guidelines, her recommended weight at delivery would be 191 to 200 pounds.

We understand that it might be a challenge especially for obese women not to gain too much weight during pregnant, but it is extremely important in order to reduce the risks and to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Little is know about teenagers who are pregnant, but it is advisable that they use the adult BMI categories to determine their weight gain range until more research is done to determine whether special categories are needed for them.

For instance, although these new guidelines are not too different from the ones in 1990, it is important that women in childbearing age take knowledge of them and implement them to assure a healthy, risk free pregnancy. In the meantime further studies should be conducted on how dietary intake, physical activity, and other factors affect weight gain during pregnancy in diverse populations.

For more information about pregnancy in obese women or to get in touch with a bariatric Surgeon. Obesity and overweight issues affect over 100 million Americans.