WASHINGTON, DC -- Women who gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy and who fail to lose this weight six months after giving birth are at much higher risk of being obese nearly a decade later, according to new research in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Researchers studied the weights of 540 women, beginning with their first prenatal visit at 10 weeks and periodically through pregnancy, postpartum, and 5 to 10 years later. Women who gained more than the recommended weight during pregnancy had significantly higher weight gain at long-term follow-up than women who gained the recommended amount or less during pregnancy.
Women who were able to lose the pregnancy weight gain were not as heavy years later as women who still retained the pregnancy weight at 6 months postpartum. The study also found that women who breastfed beyond 3 months had the smallest weight gain from before pregnancy, compared to women who did not breastfeed or only breastfed for 2 weeks or less.
Contact: Brenda L. Rooney, PhD, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse, WI, at [email protected].