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Maternal obesity and risk for birth defects

Margaret L Watkins1, Sonja A Rasmussen, Margaret A Honein

  • 1Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. mwatkins@cdc.gov

Pediatrics
|May 3, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Maternal obesity before pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects like spina bifida and heart defects. Maintaining a healthy weight before conception is crucial for preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal obesity is a growing concern in reproductive health.
  • Previous research indicates a link between prepregnancy obesity and neural tube defects.
  • Limited recent data exists on the association between maternal prepregnancy weight status and a broader range of birth defects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between maternal prepregnancy obesity and overweight with various birth defects.
  • To compare current findings with existing literature on maternal weight and birth defect risks.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based case-control study was conducted using data from the Atlanta Birth Defects Risk Factor Surveillance Study.
  • Mothers of infants with and without selected birth defects were interviewed.
  • Maternal body mass index (BMI) was calculated, excluding women with pre-existing diabetes. Risks were compared between obese (BMI ≥30), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), and average-weight (BMI 18.5-24.9) women.

Main Results:

  • Obese women showed increased odds for infants with spina bifida, omphalocele, heart defects, and multiple anomalies.
  • Overweight women had increased odds for infants with heart defects and multiple anomalies compared to average-weight women.
  • Specific odds ratios and confidence intervals were reported for each association.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirms the association between prepregnancy maternal obesity and spina bifida.
  • New associations were identified between maternal obesity and omphalocele, heart defects, and multiple anomalies.
  • Prepregnancy overweight was linked to heart defects and multiple anomalies, highlighting the need for obesity prevention in women of childbearing age.
Abstract

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