Study: One in 20 pregnant women is ‘dangerously obese’

December 7th, 2010 - 8:58 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

London, Dec 7 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A new study that was published today has revealed that about 5 percent of all pregnant women in UK is severely obese.

The study claimed that their weight puts their health and that of the babies they were carrying in danger. The study took three years to be completed and it concluded that about one in five of the pregnant women had a BMI of 35 or more which is considered dangerously abnormal. The study was conducted by Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) which seeks to improve the health of pregnant women and their fetus.

The data found that Wales had the highest concentration of obese pregnant women in the UK. About 6.5 percent of pregnant women in Wales are considered obese. The British city of London however is the lowest rate in the country.

There are several health issues associated with obesity in pregnancy. Miscarriages, high blood pressure, diabetes, hemorrhage, blood clots, still births and several other dangerous conditions have been linked to the condition. That makes it very dangerous to be obese during pregnancy.

Clinical Director of CMACE said that, “The findings from this new study show that the risks of clinical intervention increase with increasing levels of obesity and that specialist obstetric care is needed. All this requires improved, and better integrated, care for these women.”

Related Stories

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted in Health |

Subscribe