 "Child Birth, infant")
Even among obese pregnant women, being heavier is associated with a higher risk of having babies with serious birth defects, a Swedish study suggests.
Obesity has long been tied to an increased risk of pregnancy complications for mothers and their infants. The current study examined data on 1.2 million births in Sweden and found that the odds of problems like heart defects, nervous system malformations and limb deformities rises along with the severity of mothers’ obesity at the start of the pregnancy.
For normal-weight women, the risk of serious birth defects was 3.4 per cent, the study found.
Obesity has long been tied to an increased risk of pregnancy complications for mothers and their infants. The current study examined data on 1.2 million births in Sweden and found that the odds of problems like heart defects, nervous system malformations and limb deformities rises along with the severity of mothers’ obesity at the start of the pregnancy.
For normal-weight women, the risk of serious birth defects was 3.4 per cent, the study found.
