Obesity harmful to the pregnant
The doctors found that hypothyroidism was seen in 22 overweight women.
Hyderabad: Obesity in pregnant woman increases the risk of complications and could affect the health of the child, a study conducted by two doctors has found.
Dr V. Neelima and Dr S. Nagamani from the obstetrics and gynaecology department of Osmania Medical College studied 100 pregnant women who were overweight or obese and compared data with 100 pregnant women with normal BMI. All the women were aged between 18 and 35 years.
The doctors found that hypothyroidism was seen in 22 overweight women, gestational hypertension in 21, hypertensive disorders in 69 and preecamplsia in 43. The numbers respectively for pregnant women with normal weight was 4, 5, 18 and 12.
The study reported that requirement of artificially inducing labour and Caesarean section was higher among obese women. Infants of 42 obese women were required to be kept in the neonatal intensive care unit while among women with normal weight it was 16, the study reported. Abortions and pre-term deliveries were also higher among obese women.
Dr Rooma Sinha, senior gynaecologist, said, “Pregnant women should regularly monitor their weight. A weight gain of 8-10 kg is normal during pregnancy but anything above that might induce hypertension and diabetes and cause other complications. It should be remembered that pregnancy is a normal physiological process. Pregnant women should continue with their daily chores, yoga, job and should not be restricted to bed unless advised to do so by their doctor.” Those who are not pregnant, should ensure that they shed the excess weight to avoid any complications during pregnancy.