Publication:

Maternal and perinatal outcomes in obese versus non-obese pregnant women at a tertiary care hospital in western India: a prospective comparative study

Background Maternal obesity is increasing worldwide and in India and is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study compared maternal and perinatal outcomes in obese (body mass index ≥25 kg/m²) and non-obese (body mass index 18.5–24.9 kg/m²) pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital using Indian BMI cut-offs.

Methods A prospective comparative analytical study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Karad, Maharashtra. A total of 204 women were enrolled and equally allocated to an obese group (n=102) and a non-obese group (n=102). Maternal outcomes included hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), mode of delivery, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and wound infection. Perinatal outcomes included preterm birth, birth weight, Apgar scores and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Data were analysed using Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results Obese women had higher rates of pregnancy-induced hypertension (25.5% vs 7.8%), eclampsia (3.9% vs 0%), GDM (29.4% vs 0%), lower-segment caesarean section (51.0% vs 37.3%), PPH (15.7% vs 3.9%) and preterm delivery (23.5% vs 11.8%). Neonates of obese mothers more often had macrosomia (17.6% vs 0%), low Apgar score at 1 minute (25.5% vs 13.7%) and 5 minutes (11.8% vs 3.9%), and NICU admission (41.2% vs 13.7%).

Conclusions Maternal obesity defined by Indian BMI cut-offs is associated with markedly increased risks of GDM, HDP, operative delivery, PPH, macrosomia and NICU admission, supporting targeted preconception counselling and intensified antenatal surveillance in obese women.