Pregnancy in obese women

Abstract

Summary Pregnancy outcome in obese women was compared to that in non-obese controls in Hull. Pregnancy induced hypertension was 2.72 (95 per cent confidence interval 1.56 to 4.79) times more common in obese women. Preterm delivery was 1.6 times less common in the obese group while prolonged pregnancy was five times less frequent in the obese women. Apart from a difference in the number of women offered epidural analgesia in labour, other aspects of labour were similar in the two groups. Abdominal wound infections were more common in the obese group (odds ratio 8.35; 95 per cent confidence interval, 2.04 to 73.38). Babies of obese women weighed more than those of the non-obese controls but no significant difference was detected in the perinatal mortality rate. We conclude that as reported elsewhere, pregnancy induced hypertension and wound infections appear to be the two main complications that are more common in obese women.