Obese mums more likely to give birth to babies with birth defects

Conclusion This study assessed whether the risk of birth defects increased with the severity of obesity during pregnancy. It found the risk of a defect increased with an unhealthy maternal BMI, and was higher in boys than in girls. This interesting research had a large sample size and is particularly important given the increasing rates of obesity in the UK. But the study was only able to collect data on maternal BMI during early pregnancy. It would have been interesting to see whether BMI before conception and during the later stages of pregnancy had any effect on the prevalence of defects. Additionally, the research split the background of mothers into "Nordic" or "non-Nordic". It would have been useful to have a more granular breakdown of ethnicities, as genetics inevitably plays a role in this. It isn't surprising that the researchers recommend women who want to start a family should maintain a normal body weight and healthy lifestyle before getting pregnant. This seems a good approach to take, not only for the health of your baby, but also for yourself. Links To The Headlines Obese women more likely to have babies with serious birth defects, says study. The Guardian, June 15 2017 Overweight women should adopt a healthy lifestyle and slim down before starting a family: Risk of birth defects increases in correlation with the mother's weight, major study shows. Mail Online, June 15 2017 Obese women are 'more likely to give birth to ill babies'. Da...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Obesity Source Type: news