Does Partial Meal Replacement During Pregnancy Reduce 12-Month Postpartum Weight Retention?

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Maternal Health
• Weight Management

Background:

• Postpartum weight retention is a significant concern for women with overweight or obesity.
• Effective interventions to manage gestational weight gain and promote postpartum weight loss are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a prenatal behavioral intervention incorporating meal replacements.
• To determine its effect on returning to prepregnancy weight and reducing postpartum weight retention at 12 months.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial involving 264 pregnant women (overweight/obesity) assigned to usual care or intervention.
• Intervention included meal replacements and behavioral strategies to reduce gestational weight gain.
• Follow-up assessments were conducted at 12 months postpartum.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in achieving prepregnancy weight (29.7% vs. 31.8%) or postpartum weight retained (3.3 kg vs. 3.1 kg) between groups.
• Intervention group showed declines in meal replacement use and weight control behaviors post-delivery.
• Lower gestational weight gain was the strongest predictor of achieving prepregnancy weight at 12 months.

Conclusions:

• A prenatal behavioral intervention with meal replacements did not significantly affect 12-month postpartum weight retention.
• Gestational weight management is crucial for postpartum weight recovery.