Maternal obesity and complications in pregnancy

Objective We set out to quantify the effect of high body mass index (BMI) on pregnancy complications and outcome in our population. Method Our cohort consisted of 42 239 pregnancies which delivered between July 2009 and May 2010. Information recorded in the hand held maternity notes was routinely entered in PEER, a web based data collection system. Case ascertainment was close to 90%. Results The average BMI in our maternity population is 25.9. 7.3% of women have a BMI ≥35, of which 2.3% have a BMI ≥40. The table shows relative percentages, odds ratios and CIs for mothers with a BMI ≥35, compared to a BMI 18.5–24.9 reference group. Conclusions Mothers as well as health care providers need to be aware of the increased risk of pregnancy complications associated with obesity.