Being overweight or obese complicates pregnancy in ways that are best prevented by weight loss before conception, according to the findings of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A woman is overweight when her body mass index, or BMI, exceeds 25 and obese at a BMI of 30. She may also have complications in pregnancy if her waist exceeds 35 inches, the definition of abdominal obesity, regardless of her BMI.
How Obesity Complicates Pregnancy
The healthy human body is capable of an inflammatory response when it is injured or invaded by a bacteria, virus or cancer-causing agent. This response is designed to be a quick and effective means of preventing disease. When the problem is solved, the body should return to a normal, non-inflamed state. But fat cells, especially when they collect between the organs of the abdomen and upper pelvis, not only irritate the healthy cells they rub against but they also secrete hormones that keep the body in a state of chronic inflammation known to lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke and some cancers.
As noted by researchers at the Queen's Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh, Ireland, the inflammation that is commonly associated with prepregnancy obesity can lead to miscarriage, gestational diabetes, restricted blood flow to the fetus, preeclampsia, preterm uterine contractions, preterm delivery and fetal heart defects. The combination of these factors often results in an infant who is born smaller than he should be but who is then at a very elevated risk of obesity later in life. In addition, preconception obesity, because it increases the risk of diabetes and the
prediabetic conditions of increased insulin resistance in the mother, places the woman at an elevated health risk even years after she gives birth.
Preconception Weight Loss
Correcting a future mom's weight to a healthy BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 before stopping contraception and trying to conceive is the medical equivalent of taking out an insurance policy for her own health and that of the child she desires to conceive. Bariatric specialists, doctors who treat obesity, recommend a weight loss rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. This can be achieved by eating a diet of approximately 1,200 calories per day and walking 5 miles or 10,000 steps each day, as reported by Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The Right Foods for Preconception Weight Correction
For the 60 percent of American women of child-bearing age who are overweight or obese, losing the excess pounds and healing chronic inflammation already present in the body can be accomplished by choosing foods that are high in nutritional value, low in calories and anti-inflammatory. The Mediterranean diet plan is often cited as an excellent way to accomplish all three of these goals.
Fish, walnuts, almonds and flax seed as well as avocados and olive oil are excellent sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, ensuring that half of every meal is made up vegetables
is an excellent way to significantly increase nutrition. Whole fruits should be consumed twice each day and whole grains are recommended as a replacement for pasta, white rice and bread, foods proven to increase inflammation.
Walking for Weight Loss
When a woman walks five miles a day, she can expect to lose 1 lb. per week. This investment of 60 to 90 minutes a day can be made easier by integrating it into her daily routine, such as walking 30 to 45 minutes to and from work. When combined with an eating plan that restricts meals to beautifully prepared and delicious choices served in healthy-sized portions, walking five miles a day will allow most women to lose weight without compulsively counting calories.
When Surgery Makes Sense
Bariatric surgery is an option obese women should consider if they want to become pregnant, according to the findings of a study by British surgeons Melanie Grundy and Sean Woodcock published in the July 2008 issue of "Surgical Endoscopy." They found that bariatric surgery allowed women approaching the end of their fertility to lose a large amount of weight more rapidly and improved all measured outcomes for both mother and child.
References
- WomensHealth.gov: Healthy Pregnancy: Preconception Health
- "Reproduction"; Obesity, pregnancy, inflammation, and vascular function; F.Denison, K. Roberts, S. Barr and J. Norman; January 2010
- Brigham and Women's Hospital: Maintaining Weight Loss
- "Surgical Endoscopy"; The surgical management of obesity in young women: consideration of the mother's and baby's health before, during, and after pregnancy; Melanie Grundy et al; July 2008
