Does predelivery body mass index really matter in pregnancy?

Area of Science:

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

Background:

• Maternal obesity is a growing global health concern.
• Understanding its impact on perinatal outcomes is crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perinatal outcomes among normal weight, overweight, and obese pregnant women.
• To evaluate the predictive utility of pre-delivery body mass index (BMI) for various delivery complications.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 2104 patients categorized by BMI (normal, overweight, obese).
• Data collected from medical histories.
• Analysis of risks for cesarean delivery, macrosomia, dystocia, and other outcomes.

Main Results:

• Predelivery obesity is associated with increased risks of cesarean section (aOR 1.63), macrosomia (aOR 8.89), and dystocia (aOR 3.40) compared to normal weight.
• Obese women had higher risks of macrosomia and cesarean delivery than overweight women.
• Pre-delivery BMI significantly predicted cesarean delivery, macrosomia, and dystocia with specific cut-off values.

Conclusions:

• Pre-delivery obesity elevates risks for cesarean section, macrosomia, and shoulder dystocia.
• Pre-delivery BMI serves as a valuable predictor for adverse perinatal outcomes.
• The lowest cut-off value for BMI prediction was observed for shoulder dystocia.