Association between weight gain during 24 gestational weeks and pregnancy outcomes: A retrospective study in Chinese population

Abstract

AbstractBackground Although the association between inadequate or excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and adverse pregnancy outcomes has been investigated in China, most studies use the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines, which might not be suitable for Chinese women characteristics. Besides, studies exploring association between GWG in the second trimester and pregnancy outcomes are relatively few. Methods A total of 976 cases of live-birth singleton pregnancies at the Shanghai General Hospital were included in this retrospective observational study. Patients were classified into three groups including GWG during 24 gestational weeks (G24WG) within, below and above the Standard of Recommendation for Weight Gain during Pregnancy Period published by Maternal and Child Health Standards Professional Committee of National Health Commission (NHC), China PR in 2022 (2022 Chinese GWG guidelines), which specifies the recommended value of weight gain of natural singleton pregnancy in China. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of adverse pregnancy outcomes among three G24WG groups. Results Of the 976 women analyzed, 12.6% had G24WG below the 2022 Chinese GWG guidelines, while 37.2% had G24WG above the 2022 Chinese GWG guidelines. Women with G24WG below the 2022 Chinese GWG guidelines had a higher risk of Small for Gestational Age (SGA, Adjusted OR = 2.690, 95% CI: 1.334–5.427, P = 0.006) and a lower risk of Large for Gestational Age (LGA, Adjusted OR = 0.435, 95% CI: 0.228–0.829, P = 0.011) than women who had G24WG within the 2022 Chinese GWG guidelines. Conclusions G24WG is a strong predictor of newborn anthropometric outcomes and help doctors provide appropriate nutritional counseling for pregnant women in China.