Maternal visceral adiposity and fetal biometry in women with obesity and diabetes

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the correlation of maternal visceral adiposity with sonographic variables related to fetal biometry in the second trimester of pregnancy in mothers who were previously obese versus nonobese and gestational diabetic versus nondiabetic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 583 pregnant women who received prenatal care between October 2011 and September 2013 at the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira, northeast of Brazil. Maternal visceral adiposity was measured by ultrasound examination at the same time as fetal biometry. Gestational age was 14.9±3.2 weeks. The correlation between maternal visceral adiposity and fetal biometric variables was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Among the groups, the correlation coefficients were compared using Fisher's Z-test. This test was also used to evaluate the null hypothesis of correlation coefficients between pairs of variables. RESULTS: Maternal visceral adiposity positively correlated with fetal abdominal circumference, estimated fetal weight, head circumference, femur length, and biparietal diameter in pregnant women with obesity, nonobesity, gestational diabetes, and nondiabetes, but the correlation coefficients were statistically similar among the groups. CONCLUSION: Maternal visceral adiposity positively correlated with fetal biometry in the second trimester of pregnancy in the same manner in pregnant women previously obese and nonobese, as well as in pregnant women with gestational diabetes and nondiabetes.