Half of US Women are Overweight during Pregnancy Save

Obesity is associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy, especially with higher rates of infertility and miscarriage. 

A recent study compared 2 million U.S. women to 1,650 women in Germany, and found that half of U.S. women were overweight before pregnancy and that nearly half gained excess weight during pregnancy.  In Germany, 72% of first-time mothers started pregnancy at a healthy weight, compared with 47% of U.S. mothers before pregnancy.

Weight gain during pregnancy is expected.  Those who are underweight pre-pregnancy should gain 28 to 40 pounds, and those who are normal weight are advised to gain 25 to 35 pounds, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine. For overweight women, a 15- to 25-pound gain is recommended and obese women should gain just 11 to 20 pounds.

Obesity appears to affect the U.S. pregnanct population in the same way it has affected the overall population.