Regular Visits To Antenatal Clinics Cut Pregnancy Risks For Obese Women

The clinic helps a team of obstetricians, specialist midwives, dieticians to spot signs of complications sooner and treat them accordingly.

A specialist obesity clinic for pregnant obese women can help cut rates of pregnancy complications, research has found.

Women who received the specialist care were eight times less likely to have a stillbirth.

Obesity during Pregnancy: Know the Risks
Women with a body mass index >30 are obese and are at a higher risk for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Macrosomia and birth defects are risks seen in the babies.

Health experts say the clinic helps them to spot signs of complications sooner, so that women can be given appropriate treatment.

It also helps them to pinpoint those who need to be induced early or undergo an elective caesarean to avoid problems during labour.

Special Care For Obese- mums-to Be

Pregnancy and Antenatal Care
What is Antenatal care and its importance during pregnancy for mother and baby, with details on the medical test preformed during the first visit to the doctor.

The team tracked more than 1000 pregnant women classed as being severely obese during pregnancy because they had a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above.

Around half of the women attended a specialist obesity clinic while the others received standard antenatal care. Those that attended the obesity clinic were treated by a team that included obstetricians, specialist midwives, dieticians and other clinical experts.

Dental Care during Pregnancy
Dental care is not only safe but also essential during pregnancy. Hence, it is important for you to take good care of your teeth while you are pregnant.

They were given tailored advice about healthy eating and weight management during pregnancy, and were tested for diseases such as gestational diabetes.

Women who developed a complication could be treated in one visit, rather than being referred to a separate specialist clinic at a later date. Around one in five pregnant women in the UK is obese and one in 50 is classed as severely obese.

Back Pain during Pregnancy | Pregnancy and Back Pain
Backache during pregnancy is common, but must not be ignored. Simple management techniques can help to ease back pain.

Dr Fiona Denison, Honorary Consultant in Maternal and Fetal Health at the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, said: "Obese women are at high risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Our study suggests that multidisciplinary care has potential to improve pregnancy outcomes for mother and baby."

Rebecca Reynolds, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, who is part of the multidisciplinary team, said: "Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of diabetes in pregnancy is one way we can improve outcomes for these high risk pregnant women."

Source-Eurekalert