Obesity In Pregnancy
Obesity in pregnancy can cause several complications. It can even be harmful before the start of pregnancy. We can have fertility problems or suffer complications at any stage of the process if we have extra kilos.
Specialists assure that obesity is the main enemy of a pregnant woman. That is why from the first months weight gain is controlled and the necessary corrections are indicated.
When do you talk about obesity in pregnancy?
Many women can gain a few pounds during pregnancy. This is not a problem when it is a natural increase of approximately one kilo per month. However, being overweight before we get pregnant can bring various health complications and is one of the main causes of infertility.
Specialists suggest that nine to eleven kilos would be the ideal weight that the pregnant woman can gain throughout the process. However, when the mother is already overweight, the limit should be less than 9 kg; In the case of mothers with normal weight, up to 16 kg of increase is allowed. Despite the recommendations, currently we can talk about average gains between 15 kg and 20 kg, something that unfortunately usually remains after delivery.
Suffering obesity is not only an aesthetic problem, those extra kilos can deeply affect the future baby and the mother during pregnancy. Difficulties begin with just trying to get pregnant, they can present themselves in different ways during the nine months, at childbirth and during the rest of the life of mother and child.
What complications of pregnancy are related to obesity?
Being overweight before or during pregnancy poses a risk to the health of the pregnant woman and her baby even after birth. Many diseases are related to obesity, so the complications can be multiple. A pregnant woman who is also overweight is at risk for the following conditions.
Hypertension
Hypertension is a serious problem in pregnancy. It is estimated that at least 15% of pregnant women present an alteration in their values with respect to what is considered normal. Although this condition can be controlled, at any time it could generate risks for mother and child.
The increase in blood pressure is associated with the development of complications such as pre-eclampsia. This situation compromises the oxygenation and growth of the fetus, and it is an alteration that can occur at any stage of the process, including delivery. In the same way, it can generate the risk of fetal distress, placental insufficiency and the need for caesarean section.
Gestational diabetes
Obesity is one of the main causes of diabetes. During pregnancy, under normal conditions, a woman may have an increase in sugar levels, which is why there is a high probability of developing diabetes. This condition can affect the process in various ways; for example, if it appears in the first trimester it could generate risks of spontaneous abortion or produce malformations in the fetus.
The newborn could also suffer from hypoglycemia in the first hours of life, in addition to other metabolic problems. On the other hand, the mother is prone to suffering from type II diabetes in the future, since 25% of cases do not completely overcome the onslaught of gestational diabetes.
Metabolic memory
This is a condition that experts explain through a kind of programming in which the fetus is conditioned according to placental characteristics. That is, the environment where it developed leaves marks on it during its postnatal and adult life. For this reason, the baby of an obese woman could also suffer from obesity and chronic diseases related to it.
According to this theory, the baby could permanently self-generate metabolic problems. Consequently, you can develop obesity-related diseases, such as type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, among others.
Complications in childbirth
According to the data, women with obesity problems have three times the risk of miscarriage, premature delivery or stillbirth. Also, your baby may be very large and have a complicated delivery or need a C-section.
In general, obesity in pregnancy increases the chances of perinatal death. Similarly, the risk of presenting obstetric problems triples when the woman is obese.
