Losing weight between pregnancies may help many women diagnosed with a dangerous complication (Preeclampsia) during the first pregnancy to avoid a recurrence the second time around.
Losing the weight gained during pregnancy is a real struggle for many new mothers. But dropping just 4 kg between pregnancies may help many women diagnosed with a dangerous complication (Preeclampsia) during the first pregnancy to avoid a recurrence the second time around.
Preeclampsia, characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling during pregnancy can affect the liver, kidneys and the body's blood clotting system. Researchers don't know why some women develop preeclampsia and others don't but being overweight or obese appears to be a risk factor.
A previous American study showed that pre-pregnancy weight is one of the strongest risk factors for recurrence and losing even a small amount of weight offers health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease. To find out whether change in weight after first pregnancy affects risk of recurrent preeclampsia, researcher studied 17,773 American women who gave birth twice between 1989 and 2005 and developed preeclampsia during the first pregnancy. The participants were divided into three groups: those who decreased their BMIs, those who maintained their BMIs and those who increased their BMIs between their first two pregnancies.
Before their second pregnancies, 1417 of the women had weighed less than before their first, 8,783 had remained about the same, and 8,798 had weighed more. The women who maintained their weights were used as the control group.
It was found that about 16 percent of women developed preeclampsia during their second pregnancies. Of the women who had lost weight between pregnancies, 13 percent had a recurrence while 15 percent of women who maintained their weight and nearly 19 percent of those who gained weight had a recurrence. Small changes in maternal weight between pregnancies - as little as 4 kg for an average height overweight woman - significantly alter the risk of preeclampsia recurrence across all weight categories.
The findings of this study suggest that if you are overweight and you lose weight, your rate of preeclampsia recurrence is as low as someone in the normal weight category, and if you are overweight and gain weight, your rate is as high as someone in the obese category. Similarly, if normal weight people gain weight they have as high a risk as overweight people.
Few options exist for lowering a woman's risk of developing preeclampsia in her second pregnancy but this study shows that losing weight between pregnancies is the most reasonable measure to meaningfully lower this risk.
Preeclampsia, characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling during pregnancy can affect the liver, kidneys and the body's blood clotting system. Researchers don't know why some women develop preeclampsia and others don't but being overweight or obese appears to be a risk factor.
A previous American study showed that pre-pregnancy weight is one of the strongest risk factors for recurrence and losing even a small amount of weight offers health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease. To find out whether change in weight after first pregnancy affects risk of recurrent preeclampsia, researcher studied 17,773 American women who gave birth twice between 1989 and 2005 and developed preeclampsia during the first pregnancy. The participants were divided into three groups: those who decreased their BMIs, those who maintained their BMIs and those who increased their BMIs between their first two pregnancies.
Before their second pregnancies, 1417 of the women had weighed less than before their first, 8,783 had remained about the same, and 8,798 had weighed more. The women who maintained their weights were used as the control group.
It was found that about 16 percent of women developed preeclampsia during their second pregnancies. Of the women who had lost weight between pregnancies, 13 percent had a recurrence while 15 percent of women who maintained their weight and nearly 19 percent of those who gained weight had a recurrence. Small changes in maternal weight between pregnancies - as little as 4 kg for an average height overweight woman - significantly alter the risk of preeclampsia recurrence across all weight categories.
The findings of this study suggest that if you are overweight and you lose weight, your rate of preeclampsia recurrence is as low as someone in the normal weight category, and if you are overweight and gain weight, your rate is as high as someone in the obese category. Similarly, if normal weight people gain weight they have as high a risk as overweight people.
Few options exist for lowering a woman's risk of developing preeclampsia in her second pregnancy but this study shows that losing weight between pregnancies is the most reasonable measure to meaningfully lower this risk.
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