WEIGHT EXCESS BEFORE PREGNANCY - COMPLICATIONS AND COST

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of pregnancy complications and the cost of prenatal care in patients with pregravid overweight. DESI GN: Retrospective study of patients dispatched into four groups: norma l weight, moderate overweight, obesity, massive obesity. SETTING: Depa rtment of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Montpellier. SUBJECTS: One hund red and twelve pregnancies among 89 overweight women, compared with 54 healthy normal weight controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of m aternal complications, complications of labor, duration of hospitaliza tion. RESULTS: Hypertension, toxemia, gestational diabetes, insulin tr eatment, urinary tract infections and macrosomia were positively corre lated with maternal pregravid weight excess. Mean duration of hospital ization and overall cost were also strongly related to maternal weight , Cesarean section rate increased only in morbidly obese women. No mat erno-fetal mortality was observed in our study. CONCLUSION: Even moder ate overweight is a significant risk factor for obstetrical complicati ons and needs a multidisciplinary antenatal management in order to pre vent materno-fetal complications.