Pregnancy complications…
Fortunately, pregnancy complications that can affect the baby's health are relatively rare, and the vast majority of overweight or obese women can have a healthy pregnancy. However, it is important to be aware that certain complications occur more frequently in women with obesity, requiring greater vigilance. Several studies have examined this issue, but one is particularly noteworthy: a study that evaluated 106,552 pregnant women in the United States who had no known chronic illnesses prior to pregnancy.
In this study, 3% and 5% of women with a healthy weight developed gestational diabetes or gestational hypertension, respectively. These pregnancy complications can have significant impacts on the baby. Gestational diabetes was 3 to 5 times more common among women with mild to severe obesity, respectively. Gestational hypertension, meanwhile, was 2 to 4 times more common. Furthermore, 8% of healthy-weight women gave birth to a baby with a high birth weight, a condition that can have serious consequences for the child, such as the need for a Caesarean section, premature birth, and an increased risk of childhood obesity and diabetes. The risk of having an excessively large baby was approximately twice as high among women with obesity, while the risk of a Caesarean section was 1.5 to 2 times higher.
Fortunately, we believe it is possible to significantly reduce these risks by adopting healthy lifestyle habits before becoming pregnant and maintaining them throughout the pregnancy. In our initial project evaluating the Fit-For-Fertility program in Sherbrooke, we were very pleased to find that women who completed the Fit-For-Fertility program and subsequently became pregnant experienced significantly fewer obesity-related pregnancy complications than women in the control group who did not participate. Specifically, they had an incidence of insulin-requiring gestational diabetes that was more than three times lower, and none required an emergency C-section—whereas one in five women in the control group did. Furthermore, we observed that the babies had significantly less body fat at birth.
In conclusion, the efforts you make to improve your lifestyle habits before becoming pregnant are beneficial not only for your fertility but also for a healthy pregnancy and baby!!
