Effect of Obesity on pregnancy outcomes

Obesity is a modern epidemic problem affecting all aspects of healthcare. Childbirth and anesthesia are rendered more hazardous for the obese parturient.Maternal obesity is an important aspect of reproductive care. It is the commonest risk factor for maternal mortality in developed countries and is also associated with a wide spectrum of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Maternal obesity may have longer-term implications for the health of the mother and infant.Obesity is usually defined as a body weight more than 120% of idealBody weight (IBW). Several commonly used methods exist for estimating IBW, including the Metropolitan height/weight tables, the Hamwi formula, and the calculation of body mass index (BMI).Obesity is now generally classified by the use of the body mass index (BMI), a function of weight and height derived by the following formula: weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. An individual is usually classified on the basis of BMI as follows: underweight, BMI less than 20; average weight, BMI 20-24.9; overweight, BMI 25-29, 9; obese, BMI ≥ 30.0; grossly obese, BMI above 40.Our thesis is cohort study and was carried out at casualty unit and ANC clinic in Zagazig university hospital. It included 400 pregnant women including 200 cases with BMI more than 25 kg/m2and 200 cases with BMI less than 25 kg/m2.