Are Overweight Women At A Higher Risk Of Miscarriage?

We all know that being overweight makes us susceptible to a whole lot of health problems, including some of the deadlier ones like diabetes and cardio problems.

However, here we’re not going to talk about what all problems you can face because of being overweight; rather we will go into the specifics of how those extra pounds pose a threat to your and your baby’s health, when you’re pregnant.

Obesity can lead to miscarriage

If you’re serious about bringing your baby into the world, then you’ll do good to lose those extra pounds before you conceive. Even though it doesn’t count as the leading causes for miscarriage, still being overweight significantly increases your chances of a miscarriage.  If you already have some other chronic diseases or abnormalities which increase the risks of miscarriage, then being overweight will simply double up your risks.

Gestational diabetes

That’s another problem that is bound to trouble you during your pregnancy, when you are overweight. Also, your blood pressure may spike up and lead to birth defects in the newborn, while at the same time posing grave risk to your health. At times the severity of these problems can even turn fatal for the pregnant woman. With either of these two problems, both of which are mostly associated with being overweight, the chances of fetal death and miscarriage increase by nearly 50 percent.

Normal delivery may not be possible

When you’re overweight chances are that you may not be able to deliver the child normally, and so may have to undergo a C-section. Furthermore, the odds of picking up infections and suffering excessive blood loss in the labor room are relatively more when your body fat is on the higher side. Administering epidural anesthesia, during labor, also becomes difficult because of extra body fat.

Difficulties in tracking

The excessive fat that has accumulated around your waist, may pose difficulties for your physician to be able to track your babies growth, inside the womb, and make it difficult for him to make estimates about the baby’s weight and its heart rate.

With so much on stake, wouldn’t it be better if you shed those extra pounds before you plan a baby?