Ideal BMI cuts birth risk
association between BMI and maternal morbidity.
A “just right” BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, less than 18.5 is considered underweight and overweight is 25 to 29.9. Maternal complications include amniotic fluid embolism, hysterectomy, uterine rupture, antepartum haemorrhage and thromboembolism.
Underweight women were 1.2 times more likely to have significant complications, while overweight women prepregnancy severe showed a steady weightrelated increase in risk up to 1.4 times that of their normalweight counterparts.
Queensland obstetrician Gino Pecoraro said the findings were relevant to Australian women.
“What women eat in pregnancy has been known to be important for some time, perhaps it is now important for women to watch how much they eat,” Dr Pecoraro said. “While the study is not able
say that the increased to weight caused the complications, it does suggest a statistically significant association, which makes trying to keep weight in check worth while.”
Kate Wright, of the Gold Coast, is 25 weeks pregnant with twins. Before her pregnancy she was a body builder.
“Because of my background I carry a lot of muscle mass and that can really throw off the BMI reading so I don’t live my life based on BMI, but I do believe in eating healthy and keeping healthy,” she said.