Appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) favors fewer complications related to pregnancy, delivery, puerperium, and the condition of the fetus and newborn baby. The aim of this study was to evaluate weight gain in women during and after pregnancy, including both women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Materials and methods: The study involved 42 singleton pregnant women diagnosed with GDM between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. The control group consisted of 28 nondiabetic women with a singleton pregnancy. The pre-pregnancy BMI, intra-pregnancy weight gain, and postpartum body weight were assessed in the participants.
Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the values of intra-pregnancy weight gain. Only diabetic women who were also overweight or obese had a significantly higher percentage of weight gain during pregnancy. The analysis of the percentage of weight gain during the entire pregnancy showed differences only in the group of women with pre-pregnancy BMI over 30.
Conclusions: There were no significant differences in total pregnancy or mid-pregnancy weight gain between women with and without GDM. Most of the women had too high or too low total-pregnancy and mid-pregnancy weight gain. Therefore it is necessary to control GWG and educate pregnant women about it.
Keywords: BMI; body weight; gestational diabetes; pregnancy.