Obese women should gain no weight during pregnancy

Expectant mothers who are severely obese have been advised by scientists to lose weight over the course of the nine-month pregnancy term rather than gain it.

A study by researchers at the department of obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health at Saint Louis University School of Medicine have said that severely obese women should lose weight, while obese women should gain less weight than currently recommended.

The report showed that women who had a BMI of 35 and gained less weight than the currently recommended 15 pounds were less likely to develop preeclampsia, need a caesarean delivery and more likely to have a baby of normal weight.

"This study confirms what we've suspected all along - that obese women don't have to gain any weight during their pregnancy," said Dr Raul Artal, author of the study.

"Obese and overweight women should gain very little weight at all. Guidelines for nutrition during pregnancy at that time were based solely on expert opinion and not on scientific data. Obesity was not the problem it is now."

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