(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows obese pregnant women need to stop eating for two. Researchers highlight the need for new guidelines and suggest obese and overweight women should gain very little weight during pregnancy and severely obese women should actually lose weight.

Obesity is a major public health crisis. Researchers from St. Louis University School of Medicine conducted the largest population-based study to look at the effects of weight gain during pregnancy in obese expectant moms. The study analyzed data on more than 120,000 obese pregnant women.
 

Researchers found limiting weight gain in obese women has many health benefits. Obese women who gain less than 15 pounds during a pregnancy are less likely to develop preeclampsia, less likely to need a cesarean delivery and more likely to have a baby of normal weight. Study authors go on to say that severely obese women should actually lose weight during pregnancy.

Investigators say pregnancy is a big factor in the obesity crisis. Study author Raul Artal, M.D., says, “Weight gain increases in subsequent pregnancies because women accumulate weight with each pregnancy and don’t lose it.” He says it really comes down to mom to control the rest of the family. They write, “This is a multi-generational problem. The behavior modification starts with mom. If mothers are overeating and not exercising, that’s how the rest of the family is likely to behave.”

SOURCE: Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2007;110:752-758