Impact of Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index on Neonatal Outcome

Background: Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) during the gestation period is a major factor that predicts fetal weight and development. It is also positively associated with an increase in fetal head circumference and femur length. To assess the impact of pre-pregnancy BMI on neonatal anthropometry Methods: This multicenter observational study was conducted from July 2010-July 2011. A total of 1,000 mothers were enrolled, and their antenatal records were screened for pre-pregnancy weight, height, and other details. They were assigned to four categories as per their BMI: underweight: BMI 18.5kg/m^2, normal:18.5-24.99kg/m^2, overweight: 25-29.9kg/m^2, and obese: ≥30kg/m^2 group. The neonatal anthropometric measurements and other information were retrieved from the neonate s files. Neonates who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were followed till their discharge from hospital or mortality. Results: Out of 1,000 cases, 170 (17%) belonged to underweight, 224 (22.4%) to overweight, 86 (8.6%) to obese, and 520 (52%) to the normal group. Overweight and obese women were at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive complications during pregnancy, and undergoing cesarean sections. They also had a higher risk of delivering large for gestational age and post-term neonates, whereas underweight women had a significantly higher risk of delivering small for gestational, low birth weight, and premature newborns. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between maternal BMI and neonatal anthropometric measurements. Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, both low and high pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.