Obesity in Pregnancy: Obstetrician' s Obstacle

Obesity in pregnancy is associated with several complications which today's obstetricians have to face often. Overcoming these obstacles is truly challenging. There is a steady rise in incidence of overweight or obese women at reproductive age group in India and as well as other countries. Recent advances in bariatric medicine as well bariatric surgery have led to increasing number of pregnancies in obese women. Since obesity is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcome, it is considered as a high-risk pregnancy and such pregnancies need to be managed in maternity units which are well equipped with necessary infrastructure and availability of expert multidisciplinary faculty. This editorial will look into various challenges and difficulties faced by obstetricians and provide practical tips for managing obese pregnant women. We are introducing a new type of article "Invited Debate," with this issue. It deals with pros and cons of bariatric surgery. I sincerely hope that readers are benefitted from views and reviews presented in the invited debate as well as the editorial.