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Body mass index at 11-13 weeks' gestation and pregnancy complications

Argyro Syngelaki1, Foteini E Bredaki, Eirini Vaikousi

  • 1Harris Birthright Research Centre of Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.

Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy
|November 10, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Maternal body mass index (BMI) at 11-13 weeks gestation predicts numerous adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and preeclampsia. Risk increases exponentially with BMI, except for small for gestational age neonates.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Maternal body mass index (BMI) is a key health indicator.
  • Early pregnancy BMI may influence pregnancy outcomes.
  • Predictive models for adverse pregnancy outcomes are crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early pregnancy BMI and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
  • To assess BMI's predictive value after adjusting for confounders.
  • To identify specific pregnancy complications linked to maternal BMI.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective screening study of 41,577 singleton pregnancies.
  • Maternal weight and height measured at 11-13 weeks gestation to calculate BMI.
  • Regression analysis used to determine BMI's association with adverse outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Maternal BMI significantly predicted miscarriage, stillbirth, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and delivery of neonates small or large for gestational age.
  • Risk for most complications increased exponentially with BMI.
  • Spontaneous preterm delivery was not associated with BMI.

Conclusions:

  • Early pregnancy BMI is a valuable predictor of multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes.
  • Combining BMI with maternal characteristics and history improves risk estimation.
  • Patient-specific risk assessment for pregnancy complications can be enhanced.
Abstract

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