Tag: complications

The majority of women gain too much or too little weight during pregnancy, putting both mothers and babies at an increased risk for complications, a review of past studies suggests.

Researchers examined data from 23 studies covering a total of more than 1.3 million pregnancies and found 47 percent of the time women gained more weight than recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)—about 25 to 35 pounds for people who start out pregnancy at a normal weight. Another 23 percent of the time, women didn’t gain enough weight.

Women who are at least 35 years old when they give birth are much more likely than younger mothers to experience a variety of major pregnancy complications, a recent study confirms.

While previous research has linked what’s known as advanced maternal age to problems like high blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy and a higher risk of death and severe complications for babies, the current study offers fresh insight into the severe health issues faced by older mothers, said lead study author Dr. Sarka Lisonkova.