IMPACT OF MATERNAL BODY MASS INDEX ON ADVERSE MATERNAL AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES
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Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: Maternal body mass index (BMI) is a vital predictor of the nutritional status of any pregnant woman. Several developing countries like India are facing the double burden of both obesity and malnutrition due the extreme socioeconomic distribution of our population. Thus, this study was undertaken to study the efect of pre-pregnancy maternal BMI on the obstetric outcomes.
Materials and methods A retrospective observational study was conducted during the time period of 1 year (January 2023-january 2024), wherein we analysed 350 women who delivered in saveetha medical college and hospital. Depending on the maternal BMI calculated at the frst antenatal visit, all the study participants were divided into fve BMI groups and their obstetric outcomes were studied.
Results Majority of the study participants were in the normal BMI category (49.8%); however, a large number of women were overweight (37.3%), 3.2% were obese, 0.1% were morbidly obese, and 9.6%were underweight. Antenatal complications like anaemia and IUGR were more common in underweight women, whereas pre-eclampsia, GDM, macrosomia, antepartum haemorrhage and preterm labour were more common in obese women. Increased rate of Caesarean sections and postpartum complications like PPH, wound sepsis and puerperal sepsis were observed in overweight and obese women.
Conclusion Thus, adverse obstetric outcomes were observed in extremes of maternal BMI. Hence, there is a need to provide pre-conception counselling to all women in the reproductive age group so that they can achieve normal BMI prior to concep?tion and thus reduce maternal morbidity and mortality rates in our country.