Childbearing and obesity in women: weight before, during, and after pregnancy

Abstract

Weight gain and the development of obesity during midlife are strong independent predictors of cardiovascular disease, particularly among women, as well as the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and early mortality. Primiparity and maternal body size before pregnancy affect long-term postpartum weight retention and the development of obesity among women of reproductive age. As a modifiable risk factor, body weight during the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum periods may present critical windows to implement interventions to prevent weight retention and the development of overweight and obesity in women of childbearing age.

Figures

Fig. 1

Percentage of women within categories of late (6 weeks to 2 years) postpartum weight change (gain >2 kg, loss >2 kg, and stable ± 2 kg) according to pregravid BMI group. (From Gunderson EP, Abrams B, Selvin S. Does the pattern of postpartum weight change differ according to pregravid body size? Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001;25:860; with permission.)

Fig. 2

Adjusted differences in weight gain (kg) before and after pregnancy (mean [95%CI]) among parous versus nulliparous (1 birth, 2+ births versus 0 births) CARDIA women adjusted for time, center, age, height, baseline and education, smoking status, physical activity score, and oral contraceptive use with race groups and pre-pregnancy BMI groups. Pairwise comparisons, *P Data from Gunderson EP, Murtaugh MA, Lewis CE, et al. Excess gains in weight and waist circumference associated with childbearing: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA). Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2004;28:525–35.)

Fig. 3

Unadjusted and adjusted mean (95%CI) 5-year changes in visceral adipose tissue (cm2) from before to after pregnancy for women with one birth and women with no births during the 5-year interval. (From Gunderson EP, Sternfeld B, Wellons MF, et al. Childbearing may increase visceral adipose tissue independent of overall increase in body fat. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008;16(5):1078–84; with permission.)