Correlation of Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index, Prenatal Weight Gain and Gestational Diabetes – A Case-Control Study

Introduction: Obese and overweight women are more prone to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy play an important role in pregnancy and are considered important indicators of maternal and neonatal health. Because of the prevalence of obesity in Yazd, we studied the relationship between GDM with pre-pregnancy BMI and prenatal weight gain in pregnant women in Yazd. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 336 pregnant women who had just given birth, consisting of 168 pregnant women with GDM and 168 healthy pregnant women as case and control group, respectively. We gathered data from the information recorded in the health information system. In this study, the chi-squared, independent t-test and correlation test were used to analyze the data using SPSS23 software. Results: The present study showed that the average pre-pregnancy BMI and the average weight gained during pregnancy until screening for GDM were significantly higher in cases than controls (P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant reverse correlation between pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy (r = -0.27, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Since BMI is an avoidable risk factor, we should give all women good dietary training for proper weight before pregnancy and appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.