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Obesity is a chronic, progressive, relapsing, and treatable multifactorial, neurobehavioral disease. According to the World Health Organization, obesity affects 15% of women and has long-term effects on women's health. The focus of care in patients with obesity should be on optimizing health outcomes rather than on weight loss. Appropriate and common language, considering cultural sensitivity and trauma-informed care, is needed to discuss obesity. Pregnancy is a time of significant physiological change. Pre-, ante-, and postpartum clinical encounters provide opportunities for health optimization for parents with obesity in terms of, but not limited to, fertility and breastfeeding. Pre-existing conditions may also be identified and managed. Beyond pregnancy, women with obesity are at an increased risk for gastrointestinal and liver diseases, impaired kidney function, obstructive sleep apnea, and venous thromboembolism. Gynecological and reproductive health of women living with obesity cannot be dismissed, with accommodations needed for preventive health screenings and consideration of increased risk for gynecologic malignancies. Mental wellness, specifically depression, should be screened and managed appropriately. Obesity is a complex condition and is increasing in prevalence with failure of public health interventions to achieve significant decrease. Future research efforts should focus on interprofessional care and discovering effective interventions for health optimization., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

The role of insulin resistance in human disease is implicated in the pathogenesis of some of the chief western chronic diseases: ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and essential hypertension. The occurrence of these diseases, alongside obesity, is termed the metabolic syndrome. Pregnancy is normally attended by progressive insulin resistance that begins near midpregnancy and progresses through the third trimester to levels that approximate the insulin resistance seen in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia may be the basic common ground for the metabolic syndrome of pregnancy - elevated blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the metabolic syndrome is also associated with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and attenuated inflammatory responses. In this review, we discuss the development of insulin resistance during pregnancy, hormones and newly discovered factors associated with insulin resistance and secretion, lipid metabolism, and the pathogenesis of hypertension during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Preconceptional care is a set of interventions, aimed to identify and modify medical, behavioral, and social risks to a woman's health and her pregnancy outcome, prior to conception. Diagnosing and treating some of the common noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) may have an impact on pregnancy outcome. Ample time should be allowed to properly intervene in some of the following situations: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, systemic lupus erythematosus, thyroid disease, anemia, epilepsy, asthma, and cardiac disease. Diabetes mellitus and obesity are common NCDs, with proven efficacy for preconceptional care, for both maternal and perinatal outcome. These primary components of the metabolic syndrome, if properly treated prior to pregnancy, will prevent long-term hazards for the mother, her children, and the next generations, by providing in utero primary prevention of NCDs., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Obesity is a rising global epidemic. Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased maternal and fetal risks, which is inversely correlated with the severity level of obesity. Other comorbidities are common (diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders, etc.) and contribute to an even increased risk. Maternal obesity during pregnancy contributes also to offspring obesity and noncommunicable diseases later in life in a vicious cycle. Managing these problems, and potentially reducing their risk, can pose a challenge in obstetric care. It is important to provide preconception nutritional and exercise care, and guidance during pregnancy and post pregnancy for appropriate weight loss., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The obesity epidemic is a problem of global importance with a profound impact on maternal-fetal health. Maternal overweight and obesity causes pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertension and preeclampsia and affects fetal growth. Maternal obesity offers an altered genetic, hormonal and biochemical environment for the developing fetus/embryo and influences fetal growth and organ development. Offspring of obese mothers are subject to an increased risk of fetal demise, congenital anomalies and disrupted growth patterns, causing an increase in perinatal mortality. The impact of maternal obesity extends beyond intrauterine and neonatal life to childhood, adolescence and adulthood., (Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To determine associations of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and obesity with adverse pregnancy outcomes in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study., Research Design and Methods: Participants underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 24 and 32 weeks. GDM was diagnosed post hoc using International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Neonatal anthropometrics and cord serum C-peptide were measured. Adverse pregnancy outcomes included birth weight, newborn percent body fat, and cord C-peptide >90th percentiles, primary cesarean delivery, preeclampsia, and shoulder dystocia/birth injury. BMI was determined at the OGTT. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine associations of GDM and obesity with outcomes., Results: Mean maternal BMI was 27.7, 13.7% were obese (BMI ≥33.0 kg/m(2)), and GDM was diagnosed in 16.1%. Relative to non-GDM and nonobese women, odds ratio for birth weight >90th percentile for GDM alone was 2.19 (1.93-2.47), for obesity alone 1.73 (1.50-2.00), and for both GDM and obesity 3.62 (3.04-4.32). Results for primary cesarean delivery and preeclampsia and for cord C-peptide and newborn percent body fat >90th percentiles were similar. Odds for birth weight >90th percentile were progressively greater with both higher OGTT glucose and higher maternal BMI. There was a 339-g difference in birth weight for babies of obese GDM women, compared with babies of normal/underweight women (64.2% of all women) with normal glucose based on a composite OGTT measure of fasting plasma glucose and 1- and 2-h plasma glucose values (61.8% of all women)., Conclusions: Both maternal GDM and obesity are independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Their combination has a greater impact than either one alone.

As obesity becomes a worldwide epidemic, its prevalence during reproductive age is also increased. Alarming reports state that two-thirds of adults in the USA are overweight or obese, with half of them in the latter category, and the rate of obese pregnant women is estimated at 18-38%. These women are of major concern to women's health providers because they encounter numerous pregnancy-related complications. Obesity-related reproductive health complications range from infertility to a wide spectrum of diseases such as hypertensive disorders, coagulopathies, gestational diabetes mellitus, respiratory complications, and fetal complications such as large-for-gestational-age infants, congenital malformations, stillbirth, and shoulder dystocia. Recent reports suggest that obesity during pregnancy can be a risk factor for developing obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases in the newborn later in life. This review will address the implication of obesity on pregnancy and child health, and explore recent literature on obesity during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the relative contribution of maternal weight, GDM severity and glycemic control in women with gestational diabetes (GDM) on the prevalence of LGA infants., Methods: A total of 233 women with GDM were classified according to the fasting and/or postprandial glucose levels as in "good" or "poor" glycemic control. Severity of GDM was categorized using fasting plasma glucose on the 3-h 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)., Results: The incidence of LGA infants was significantly higher in obese women than in those with lower BMI. There was no significant correlation between GDM severity or level of glycemic control and birth weight or proportion of LGA infants. On multivariate regression analyses, only maternal weight at delivery and fasting glucose level on OGTT were found to be independently and significantly associated with the birth weight, and only maternal weight at delivery was a significant and independent predictor of LGA infants., Conclusions: Both the GDM severity and maternal weight are independent predictors of infants' birth weights. Maternal weight at delivery is a major risk factor for LGA infants.

Objective: A paucity of data exists concerning the normal glycemic profile in nondiabetic pregnancies. Using a novel approach that provides continuous measurement of blood glucose, we sought to evaluate the ambulatory daily glycemic profile in the second half of pregnancy in nondiabetic women., Study Design: Fifty-seven obese and normal weight nondiabetic subjects were evaluated for 72 consecutive hours with continuous glucose monitoring by measurement interstitial glucose levels in subcutaneous tissue every 5 minutes. Subjects were instructed not to modify their lifestyle or to follow any dietary restriction. For each woman, mean and fasting blood glucose values were determined; for each meal during the study period, the first 180 minutes were analyzed., Results: For the study group, the fasting blood glucose level was 75 +/- 12 mg/dL; the mean blood glucose level was 83.7 +/- 18 mg/dL; the postprandial peak glucose value level was 110 +/- 16 mg/dL, and the time interval that was needed to reach peak postprandial glucose level was 70 +/- 13 minutes. A similar postprandial glycemic profile was obtained for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Obese women were characterized by a significantly higher postprandial glucose peak value, increased 1- and 2-hour postprandial glucose levels, increased time interval for glucose peak, and significantly lower mean blood glucose during the night. No difference was found in fasting and mean blood glucose between obese and nonobese subjects., Conclusion: Glycemic profile characterization in both obese and normal weight nondiabetic subjects provide a measure for the desired level of glycemic control in pregnancy that is complicated with diabetes mellitus.

Overnutrition and undernutrition during pregnancy are closely related to pregnancy outcome as well as neonatal and perinatal outcomes. This and more, from various published data it seems that the effect of maternal nutrition during fetal life stretches far beyond the neonatal period, and influences health issues in adulthood, from cardiovascular and metabolic disorders through mental illnesses. The purpose of this review is to update about overnutrition and undernutrition during pregnancy and their effect on noncommunicable adulthood diseases, and about leading theories on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. We aimed to assess the parameters associated with complicated pregnancy in women with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and nephropathy. Study design. A cohort study of 46 consecutive women diagnosed with Type 1 DM with nephropathy prior to pregnancy was included during the years 2000–2007. Complicated pregnancy was defined as one or more of the following: first trimester abortion, superimposed pre-eclampsia, pre-term delivery <34 weeks, small and large for gestational age neonate, macrosomia, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and foetal loss (after 22 weeks' gestation). Results. Overall, 31/46 (67%) had at least one pregnancy complication. Body mass index (BMI) was the only parameter with a significant difference between the groups, being higher in the women with complicated pregnancy vs. uncomplicated pregnancy (27 ± 9 vs. 24 ± 3, p = 0.027). On Multiple logistic regression model in which composite outcome (pregnancy complication) as the dependent variable, pre-pregnancy BMI was the only statistically significant parameter with a difference between the groups ( p = 0.044). No statistical difference was found between the groups in the rate of pre-pregnancy counselling (60% vs. 67%), glycaemic control prior to pregnancy (Hba1c 7.5 vs. 7.1%), the prevalence of patients achieving desired level of glycaemic control (44% vs. 42%), weight gain during pregnancy (12.4 vs. 10.6 kg), duration of DM (18.0 vs. 19.7 years) and proportion of patients treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors prior to pregnancy (26 vs. 33%). Conclusion. Overweight is associated with poor pregnancy outcome in patients with Type-1 DM and different degrees of nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and its neonatal detrimental effects. Identified risk factors for GDM including advanced age, obesity and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are listed. Also discussed screening and diagnosis procedures such as glucose challenge and oral glucose tolerance tests and treatment methods like patient education and the use of insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents. Post-partum attentions on blood glucose levels, hyperglycemia and family planning are emphasized.

With the increase in obesity prevalence among women of reproductive age globally, the risks of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and other conditions are rising, with detrimental effects on maternal and newborn health. The period before pregnancy is increasingly recognized as crucial for addressing weight management and reducing malnutrition (both under- and overnutrition) in both parents to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the mother as well as the passage of risk to her offspring. Healthcare practitioners, including obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, and general practitioners, have an important role to play in supporting women in planning a pregnancy and achieving healthy nutrition and weight before pregnancy. In this position paper, the FIGO Pregnancy Obesity and Nutrition Initiative provides an overview of the evidence for preconception clinical guidelines to reduce the risk of NCDs in mothers and their offspring. It encourages healthcare practitioners to initiate a dialogue on women's health, nutrition, and weight management before conception. While acknowledging the fundamental importance of the wider social and environmental determinants of health, this paper focuses on a simple set of recommendations for clinical practice that can be used even in short consultations. The recommendations can be contextualized based on local cultural and dietary practices as part of a system-wide public health approach to influence the wider determinants as well as individual factors influencing preconception health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FIGO PONI Supplement highlights the importance of weight and nutrition for women before, during, and after pregnancy, and provides recommendations and tools for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]