Maternal Obesity

Afflicting more than 300 million women across the globe, obesity has profound effects on health during pregnancy and on the wellbeing of the unborn child. In the face of such a challenging pandemic, this book reviews the latest research and provides up-to-date advice on clinical management. Maternal Obesity addresses the adverse effects of obesity among women of childbearing age, including infertility, medical complications, problems in labor, and adverse birth outcomes, and it reviews evidence that the obese mother's in utero environment has long-lasting influences on the health of the developing child. Chapters cover basic, clinical, and population perspectives, providing a range of valuable information from mechanistic insight through to public health and policy implications. Invaluable for obstetricians, gynaecologists, paediatricians, general and family physicians, subspecialists in obstetric and paediatric medicine, midwives, and dietitians, as well as researchers and public health policy makers seeking to tackle the burden of maternal obesity-related illness.

Preface; Part I. Trends and Determinants of Obesity in Women of Reproductive Age: 1. Demography of obesity Maria Regina Torloni, Ana Pilar Betrán and Mario Merialdi; 2. Determinants of obesity Cuilin Zhang and Frank B. Hu; 3. Obesity and fertility Jorge E. Chavarro and Thomas L. Toth; Part II. Pregnancy Outcome: 4. Maternal outcomes in obese pregnancies Eugene Oteng-Ntim and Pat Doyle; 5. Potential mechanisms contributing to gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia in the obese woman Naveed Sattar and Dilys J. Freeman; 6. Fetal and infant outcomes in obese pregnancies Ruth Bell, Peter W. G. Tennant and Judith Rankin; 7. Obesity in pregnancy and mental health Louise M. Howard and Helen Croker; Part III. Long-term Consequences: 8. Long-term consequences of obesity in pregnancy for the mother Andrea Deierlein and Anna Maria Siega-Riz; 9. Long-term consequences of maternal obesity and gestational weight gain for offspring obesity and cardiovascular risk – intrauterine or shared familial mechanisms? Abigail Fraser and Debbie A. Lawlor; 10. Influences of maternal obesity on the health of the offspring: a review of animal models Lucilla Poston, Paul D. Taylor and Peter Nathanielsz; 11. Developmental origins of obesity: energy balance pathways – appetite. The role of developmental plasticity of the hypothalamus Sebastian G. Bouret; 12. Adipose tissue development and its potential contribution to later obesity Shalini Ojha, Helen Budge and Michael E. Symonds; 13. Maternal diet and nutritional status and risk of obesity in the child: the role of epigenetic mechanisms Melissa A. Suter and Kjersti Aagaard-Tillery; Part IV. Interventions: 14. Interventional strategies to improve outcomes in obese pregnancies: focus on gestational weight gain Emily Oken and Matthew W. Gillman; 15. Interventional strategies to improve outcome in obese pregnancies: insulin resistance and gestational diabetes Scott M. Nelson and Lucilla Poston; 16. Intervention strategies to improve outcomes in obese pregnancies: micronutrients and dietary supplements Lisa M. Bodnar and Meredith S. Parrott; 17. Pre-pregnancy bariatric surgery: improved fertility and pregnancy outcome? Ronald G. Devlieger and Isabelle Guelinckx; Part V. Management and Policy: 18. Clinical management of obesity in pregnancy Carolyn Chiswick and Fiona C. Denison; 19. Public health policies relating to obesity in childbearing women Kathleen M. Rasmussen; Index.

Obesity during pregnancy adversely influences the health of both mother and child, with consequences that may last a lifetime. This book presents up-to-date research findings and clinical advice, including recommendations for weight management. Essential for all healthcare professionals caring for pregnant women and infants, and researchers interested in these issues.

Lucilla Poston is Professor of Maternal and Fetal Health, Division of Women's Health, King's College London, London, UK.
Matthew W. Gillman is Director of the Obesity Prevention Program and Professor in the Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and is Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.