Gaining Too Much, Too Little Weight in Pregnancy Tied to Adverse Outcomes for Mother, Baby

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Women who gain more or less weight than what's recommended during pregnancy face increased risk for adverse outcomes, a JAMA meta-analysis finds.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that underweight women gain 28–40 pounds during a singleton pregnancy; normal-weight women, 25–35 pounds; overweight women, 15–25 pounds; and obese women, 11–20 pounds.

For the meta-analysis, researchers examined data from 23 cohort studies comprising 1.3 million women with singleton pregnancies in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Overall, 47% of women gained more weight than recommended; 23% gained less than recommended.

Compared with recommended weight gain, excess weight gain was associated with higher risks for having a large-for-gestational-age infant, macrosomia, or cesarean delivery (but somewhat lower risks for preterm birth or having a small-for-gestational-age infant). Lower-than-recommended weight gain, meanwhile, was tied to higher risks for preterm birth or having a small-for-gestational-age infant (but lower risks for having a large-for-gestational-age infant or macrosomia).