Research
Energy balance
Pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity significantly increase the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and cesarean delivery.
If you are overweight or obese before pregnancy, you are at higher risk for high blood pressure disorders, gestational diabetes, and needing a C-section. Working towards a healthier weight before conceiving can significantly lower these risks.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The risk of preeclampsia (OR 2.28; 95% CI: 2.04-2.55) and GDM (OR 1.91; 95% CI: 1.58-2.32), however, approximately doubles with pre-pregnancy overweight... The Pooled analysis of seven observational studies showed a clear increase of 42% in caesarean delivery among overweight women (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.21-1.66).
Why this rating
Based on 41 observational studies.
Source
Preconception care: nutritional risks and interventions
Sohni V Dean et al. · Reproductive Health · 2014
DOI 10.1186/1742-4755-11-s3-s3
Meta-analysis · 146 studiesCited 282×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Preconception folic acid supplementation significantly reduces the risk of recurrent neural tube defects by approximately 69%.Strong
- Preconception folic acid and multivitamin supplementation significantly reduce the risk of congenital heart defects and preeclampsia.Good
- Pre-pregnancy underweight (BMI <18.5) significantly increases the risk of preterm birth by 32% and small-for-gestational age babies by 64%.Good
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →