Obesity during Pregnancy
Obesity during Pregnancy – The Risk associated with Weight gain

Obesity during Pregnancy can complicate life if not properly addressed. The need for weight lose is a must done for good health of both the mother and the baby
If you have been on the link you must have gone through our previous article when we introduced this discussion of obesity and pregnancy. We stated that before you can get pregnant, it is essential that your weight is normalized. Being obese or underweight is not health for pregnancy you can refer to that article on effects of obesity before pregnancy. In this article our focal point of discussion is going to be based on the obesity during pregnancy in other words you’re already pregnant, how should you live your life in that condition of pregnancy.
Obesity during Pregnancy – Maternal complications
As we have stated that normal weight is essential during pregnancy one would wonder that what this normal weight recommended during pregnancy. The recommended gestational weight gain during the process of pregnancy is 11.5 to 16.0 kg, (0.5 to 2.0 kg for the first pregnancies and 0.35 to 0.50 kg per week for the second and third pregnancies following) therefore it is strictly advisable for overweight and obese pregnant women to put adequate measures in reducing their weight to the desired normal weight level for pregnancy and doctor Dalal Akoury who is an expert in matters relating to weigh and obesity can be of great help for you in achieving this goal. The purpose of this is to attain the appropriate balanced diet full of high nutritional values resulting in both weight control and normal embryo growth.
It is highly recommended that before you get pregnant you should work on your weight if you’re overweight or obese this is so because overweight women before pregnancy are more likely to exceed the weight gain recommendations during pregnancy. This will cause them great risk of adverse complications like:
Miscarriage – Although excess body weight has been correlated with increased risk for first-trimester miscarriage, the results of various studies are controversial and far from being conclusive as for now it remain a hypothesis.
Thrombo-embolism – Pregnancy per se constitutes a prothrombotic state characterized by an increase in the plasma concentration of coagulation factors Ι, VII, VIII and X, a decrease in protein S and inhibition of fibrinolysis.
These changes together with other risk factors like:
- Advanced maternal age
- High parity
- Cesarean section
- Pre-eclampsia
- Obesity
All these result in an increased risk for venous thrombosis. It has been established in several studies that obesity will doubles the risk of thrombosis by accelerating the concentration of factors VIII and IX, but not of fibrinogen.
Gestational diabetes – it is estimated that about 3-10% of women will be affected by gestational diabetes. Although many factors contribute to this, such as ethnic origin, age and family history, obesity constitutes an independent risk factor as the incidence of gestational diabetes is 2 – 3 fold higher in obese and overweight as compared to normal weight women. Besides this obesity and diabetes play independent roles in determining fetal size.
Hypertensive disorders and metabolic syndrome – Obesity is associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance and consequent hyperinsulinemia can result in such conditions like:
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidemia
- Degenerative heart disease
- Hyperuricemia
- Glucose intolerance or diabetes type 2.
During pregnancy, obese women face increased risk of developing hypertension, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Specifically, women with a BMI >30 kg/m2 have a two- to three-fold higher risk for developing pre-eclampsia.
Preterm delivery – Current evidence indicates that obesity during pregnancy leads to induced preterm delivery but not spontaneous preterm birth, which is usually encountered in women with low BMI.However this is still a subject of discussion.
Cesarean section – Studies suggest a two-fold3 increase in the risk for cesarean section in obese women even without additional risk factors. Cesarean section in this group is of great concern, as women who are overweight or obese are more susceptible to post-operative complications, such as excessive blood loss, deep venous thrombosis, wound infection and postpartum uterine infection.
Long-term complication – Obese women tend to retain gestational weight gain more frequently than women of normal body weight. It is also very important to note that women who developed gestational diabetes have a 50% likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes within the following ten years.
Management of obesity during pregnancy
having known the dangers of excessive weight and obesity in the life of a pregnant mother, we have a duty to keep our women safe from the scourge of obesity. This can be done either at home or in consultation with the experts who understand the dangers better. There are those things you can do on your own like following on a balance diet and indulging on meaningful physical activities however in doing all these it is important that you seek guidance from the experts so that no mistake is done. As had been indicated earlier doctor Dalal Akoury is passionate about her work and helping you recover yourself is what she does best.
Given the fact that obesity or excessive weight gain during pregnancy constitute important risk factors for the mother and the fetus you and I ore each other the duty of care to protect and defend our unborn children to meet the world in good health and without any life threatening condition. If a women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy has up to three times higher risk of becoming overweight in subsequent pregnancy it is an indication that the problem could be long term and so doing solving the problem now is very necessary. Therefore ensuring a balanced diet and physical exercise during, and where necessary before pregnancy are strongly recommended in consultation with doctor Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a medical facility which focuses on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. Calling doctor Akoury will be the beginning of your journey to freedom and happy process of recovery from the prevalence of obesity. You owe it to yourself and doctor Akoury will be there for you professionally and get you back to your normal weight that is recommended for pregnancy.
Obesity during Pregnancy – The Risk associated with Weight gain



