OBJECTIVE:

To describe the most frequent maternal and perinatal complications in pregnant women with obesity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Cross-sectional, comparative study conducted at the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Dr. Juan I. Menchaca between 2017 and 2019. A group of pregnant patients with body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2, with singleton fetus, with more than 29 weeks of pregnancy versus a control group of equal number of pregnant women with singleton fetus and more than 29 weeks of gestation and normal BMI (20.1 to 24.9 kg/m2) were compared. Fisher's 2, Fisher's exact and odds ratio tests were applied to the results.

RESULTS:

380 pregnant women with obesity were compared with an equal number of patients with normal BMI. The women were older (mean 27.9 vs 21.9), worked more outside their home (146 vs 62), more multi-pregnancy 92 vs 55) and that in pregnancy they had more problems of threatened abortion (91 vs 47), diabetes (70 vs 21), hypertension (68 vs 17) and abruptio placentae (8 vs 2), with a more frequent cesarean section (243 vs 162), results that had a statistically significant difference. Neonates had lower Apgar (Apgar ≤ 7 at minute 61 vs 30) and more macrosomia (47 vs 18) results that had a statistically significant difference, not being the same with malformations (14 vs 7), and a higher number of admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (44 vs 29), although they were more frequent, they had no statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONS:

Pregnancy in women with obesity is more frequently associated with both maternal and perinatal problems, so pregnancy should be planned in this group of women.