Overweight Pregnancies Lead to Babies with Birth Defects

A study published in the BMJ medical journal revealed a link between the overweight mothers during pregnancy and the birth defects their child had.

Although these results aren’t new, they reinforce the results of the many other studies that preceded it. Past studies had also found that obese mothers were more likely to give birth to babies with congenital malformations. This specific study, however, showed that as the mother’s weight increased, so did the percentage of babies born with defects – that mothers did not need to be obese, just being overweight increased the risk.

The study analyzed over 1.2 million live births in Sweden between the years 2001 to 2014. The women were placed into groups based on their weight and body mass index (BMI). Mothers that were underweight are classed as having a body mass index below 18.5. Those with normal weight had BMI between 18.5 and 24, while overweight ranged from BMI 25 to 29. Obese mothers were placed into three groups, class I, class II and class III. With BMI of 30 to 34, for a class I, BMI of 35 to 39 for class II, BMI of 40 or higher for class III.

Out of all the babies that were investigated, 43,550 were born with major birth defects; the most common being heart defects. Defects in genital organs, limbs, urinary tract, digestive system and nervous system followed.

The babies that were born to normal-weight mothers had 3.4% risk of developing birth defects according to the researchers. Babies born to overweight mothers had a 3.5% chance of having major congenital malformations. Amongst all the babies born to obese mothers in class I, class II and class III have risks of 3.8%, 4.2%, and 4.7% – showing clearly that as the weight of the mothers increased so did the risk of babies being born with deformities.

Although the link between weight and defects has been established, the exact cause is still not known. Medical experts haven’t yet determined why the high weight of mothers causes babies to be born with defects. Overweight and obese mothers generally have complications during pregnancy and childbirth itself.

New studies have revealed that currently a third of the world’s population is either overweight or obese. There are more obese people in the world than there are underweight people. Going by these statistics, we expect more babies to be born with defects in the near future.

Mothers who want to get pregnant should look to losing weight before conceiving. They need to begin exercising religiously while eating a healthy and nutritious diet to bring down their weight. Doing chores around the house and running errands are other ways you can burn calories throughout the day. These mothers will have to continue to exercise during their pregnancy to make sure their weight doesn’t get out of hand. Taking steps to strengthen their body during pregnancy will ensure that they remain healthy and active during pregnancy. By getting to a healthy weight they lessen their chances of complications during childbirth too.