 News
27th July 2007
Mothers warned about yo-yo weight
Women who gain or lose a lot of weight between pregnancies could be putting
their baby at risk, according to research.
The study was written by Dublin-based Jennifer Walsh, a specialist registrar
in obstetrics and gynaecology at Coombe Women's Hospital, Dublin, and
Deirdre Murphy, professor of obstetrics at Trinity College, University
of Dublin.
They found that fluctuating weight in between pregnancies increased the
risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as the risk of stillbirth.
The authors said that women in general were getting mixed messages about
diet and weight, and this confusion was extending into pregnancy.
They said, "There is growing concern on the one hand about an epidemic
of obesity, and on the other about a culture that promotes 'size zero'
as desirable, irrespective of a woman's natural build.
"Pregnancy is one of the most nutritionally demanding periods of a woman's
life, with an adequate supply of nutrients essential to support foetal
wellbeing and growth.
"With at least half of all pregnancies unplanned, women need to be aware
of the implications of their weight for pregnancy, birth, and the health
of their babies.
"Women are at an increased risk of different but equally serious adverse
pregnancy outcomes if they gain or lose an excessive amount of weight
between pregnancies."
A Swedish study of 207,534 women found that weight gain between pregnancies
was strongly associated with major complications for the woman and baby
in the months preceding, during and just after childbirth.
A second study found that women who lost a significant amount of weight
between pregnancies had an increased risk of premature birth.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said, "Women should be aiming
for a normal weight before they have their second child.
"But this research also shows that women also go the other way and starve
themselves to plummet to a goal weight. That is also wrong."
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