Q: If a woman is obese, is there a benefit to losing weight before getting pregnant?
Answer from Dr. Peter H. R. Roberts, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Providence Portland Medical Center: Yes, there are advantages to beginning pregnancy as close as possible to a healthy weight range. I’d like to discuss some of those advantages and tell you about a tool a woman and her health provider can use to help set a reasonable weight-loss goal prior to pregnancy.
Obesity poses serious health risks, and some of these risks are magnified during pregnancy. High blood pressure, diabetes and other complications occur more frequently in women who are obese. Recent evidence published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also links obesity with increased risk of delivering babies with heart abnormalities, spina bifida and other birth defects.
Beginning pregnancy as close as possible to a healthy weight range can reduce such risks. If you are significantly overweight and plan to have a baby, talk with your health provider. He or she will likely begin by calculating your body mass index (BMI), a formula that considers height and age to determine if a person is underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight or obese. Using your BMI score and medical history, your health provider can recommend reasonable weight-loss goals and other steps you can take to improve your health prior to pregnancy.
If you are obese and are already pregnant, your health provider can recommend an eating plan that will provide your baby with sound nutrition and help keep your own weight stable. With proper medical supervision, an obese woman can deliver a healthy baby without gaining any additional weight during her pregnancy.
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June 2003
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