Optimizing obesity management for women in an Indian obstetrics and gynecology setting: A consensus approach by the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR)

Abstract

Obesity has emerged as a pressing global and national concern, with a disproportionate impact on women's health. It is associated with a myriad of adverse outcomes including polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, gestational diabetes mellitus, miscarriages, birth defects, and so on. Despite its prevalence in clinical settings, the effective management of obesity remains a formidable challenge, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced interventions tailored to Indian women. A set of 14 pivotal clinical inquiries was devised by conducting a literature search. The quality of evidence and consensus statements was evaluated with the help of the GRADE approach. The objective was to gather consensus from a pool of experts regarding the statements, utilizing the Delphi methodology. This consensus paper is an initiation by the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), and it aims to provide evidence-based and pragmatic clinical insights to optimize obesity management, and an easy-to-use algorithm specifically tailored for Obstetricians and Gynecologists (O&G) in India. The proposed algorithm could help individualize obesity management, ultimately improving health outcomes and quality of life for Indian women seeking gynecological care.