Failure to recognise the impact of 'moderate' obesity (BMI 30-40) on adverse obstetric outcomes

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the western world. We carried out a comparative analysis of the incidence of obstetric morbidity in three BMI categories in the ranges 30-40 to identify which BMI category was associated with greatest risk. This identification could help target limited maternity care resources to the group of women who would benefit most. There exists a scale continuum of risk of obstetric morbidity with maternal obesity: the greater the BMI, the greater the risk. However, pregnant women with mild or moderate obesity are still at significant risk of having pre-existing co-morbidities of developing antenatal complications and of being delivered by caesarean section than women with BMIs within the normal range. These women, at the time of antenatal booking, are currently not perceived by healthcare providers as having at-risk pregnancies and are therefore potentially denied access to best care.