Maternal Weight Management in Pregnancy
Summary
Maternal weight management in pregnancy centres on achieving and maintaining weight trajectories that align with established guidelines for pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain. Appropriate weight management mitigates risks of obstetric complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and caesarean delivery, while promoting optimal fetal growth and reducing the likelihood of small or large for gestational age infants. Both inadequate and excessive weight gain carry long-term consequences for maternal cardiovascular and metabolic health, as well as childhood obesity risk. In response, multidisciplinary programmes combining nutritional counselling, tailored physical activity regimens and behavioural support have been developed, ranging from in-person consultations to digital health platforms. These interventions demonstrate global relevance, with adaptations for low-resource settings and culturally sensitive approaches enhancing their reach. Practical applications include routine maternal weight monitoring, personalised goal setting and integration of mobile technologies to support self-management and professional oversight throughout the perinatal period.
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Maternal Weight Management in Pregnancy publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in maternal weight management in pregnancy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Gestational weight gain (GWG): The total body weight increase measured from conception to delivery, assessed against guidelines stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI.
Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI): A measure of maternal adiposity calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, used to categorise weight status before conception.
Small for gestational age (SGA): A newborn whose birthweight lies below the 10th percentile for the gestational age reference population.
Macrosomia: A condition in which a newborn has an excessive birthweight, typically defined as above 4,000 grams, associated with maternal overnutrition or diabetes.
Postpartum weight retention: The difference between maternal weight at a specified time after delivery and pre-pregnancy weight, reflecting weight persistence following childbirth.
References
- Suboptimal gestational weight gain and neonatal outcomes in low and middle income countries: individual participant data meta-analysis. The BMJ (2023).
- Postpartum weight retention and the early evolution of cardiovascular risk over the first 5 years after pregnancy. Cardiovascular Diabetology (2024).
- A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis Comparing In-Person, Remote, and Blended Interventions in Physical Activity, Diet, Education, and Behavioral Modification on Gestational Weight Gain among Overweight or Obese Pregnant Individuals. Advances in Nutrition (2024).
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