UK researchers said, obese women are more likely to give birth to children with spina bifida, heart problems, cleft palate & a number of other defects.
In a study its found that obese women were nearly twice as likely to have a baby with neural tube defects, which are caused by the incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord. For one such defect, spina bifida, the risk more than doubled. The researchers also detected increased chances of heart defects, cleft lip and palate, water on the brain and problems in the growth of arms and legs. There were hints the same may hold true for overweight women too but the data did not turn up enough evidence for the team to reach any firm conclusions.
Researchers stressed that because birth abnormalities affect only about two to four percent of pregnancies, the absolute risk for obese women remains low.
Obesity increases the risk of many pregnancy complications, and this article further clarifies that obesity impacts the risk of birth defects, especially neural tube defects and congenital heart defects.
The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people around the world as obese, including 20 million under the age of five, and the number is growing. Obesity raises the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems and is a health concern piling pressure on already overburdened national health systems.
Recent research has tied weight to other problems during pregnancy. A team from the Rand Corp think tank in California reported in 2008 that women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women.
In a study its found that obese women were nearly twice as likely to have a baby with neural tube defects, which are caused by the incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord. For one such defect, spina bifida, the risk more than doubled. The researchers also detected increased chances of heart defects, cleft lip and palate, water on the brain and problems in the growth of arms and legs. There were hints the same may hold true for overweight women too but the data did not turn up enough evidence for the team to reach any firm conclusions.
Researchers stressed that because birth abnormalities affect only about two to four percent of pregnancies, the absolute risk for obese women remains low.
Obesity increases the risk of many pregnancy complications, and this article further clarifies that obesity impacts the risk of birth defects, especially neural tube defects and congenital heart defects.
The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people around the world as obese, including 20 million under the age of five, and the number is growing. Obesity raises the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems and is a health concern piling pressure on already overburdened national health systems.
Recent research has tied weight to other problems during pregnancy. A team from the Rand Corp think tank in California reported in 2008 that women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women.
