Weight gain after the first birth carries risks in further pregnancies

Increased stillbirths and increased infant mortality in weight gain
Obesity and obesity are known risk factors for pregnancies, although it has remained unclear how weight gain after the first birth affects the risk of prematurity or stillbirth in subsequent pregnancies. Scientists from the University of Michigan (USA) and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) have now found in a recent study that increasing the body weight after the first pregnancy increases the likelihood of stillbirths. In addition, weight gain was associated with higher infant mortality in the first four weeks, according to Professor Eduardo Villamor of the University of Michigan and colleagues in the journal The Lancet..

According to the researchers, weight gain after the first child increases the risk of stillbirth in the second child. Women who had normal weight before their first birth, and then increased six to eleven kilograms, showed a 38 percent increased risk of stillbirth, the researchers explain. At the same time, the probability of death among children increased by 27 percent in the first few months of life. In turn, overweight women who contracted after the first pregnancy had a reduced risk of stillbirth and reduced infant mortality. The current study results highlight the importance of body weight for the course of pregnancy and the health of the unborn child, emphasize Professor Villamor and family.

Being overweight during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality. (Image: ia_64 / fotolia.com)

Increasing BMI leads to more stillbirths and higher infant mortality
Based on the data of 456,711 women on their first and second pregnancies from a Swedish population study (duration 1992 to 2012), the scientists examined possible relationships between the course of pregnancy and body weight. The observed body mass index (BMI) changes in mothers between the first and second pregnancies were compared with the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality. With a stable BMI, there was a virtually unchanged risk in both areas. However, with increasing body weight after the first pregnancy, the risk of stillbirth and death of the children in the first months of life increased. If the women were more than eleven kilograms, the likelihood of stillbirth was increased by as much as 55 percent and the infant mortality rate increased by 60 percent, the researchers report.

Weight loss reduces the risk
The current study highlights the need to promote healthy body weight before pregnancy, says Professor Villamor. Women of normal weight should be helped to maintain their weight, and overweight people should be advised to lose weight before pregnancy, researchers report. Such weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of stillbirth and infant mortality, according to Villamor and colleagues. (Fp)