Abstract
Objectives
The amount of weight gained during pregnancy can have immediate and long-term effects on the future health of the pregnant person and their offspring. However, longitudinal prospective datasets that allow for interrogation of pre-pregnancy (PP) weight, gestational weight gain (GWG), and weight at time of delivery (DL) over multiple pregnancies are sparse. We sought to examine how these variables vary from pregnancy to pregnancy in women who have conceived more than once with assisted reproductive technologies (ART).Methods
For this retrospective cohort study, we used a longitudinal, prospectively-acquired delivery database from a 2-hospital, single academic institution in Houston, Texas. Women who conceived via ART with 2 subsequent deliveries were identified (n = 109, 218 deliveries). Maternal PP and DL weight & PP and DL BMI were identified. GWG was calculated and used to determine whether parturients achieved the recommended GWG.Results
There was a significant difference in PP weight (kgs) from the first (P1) (66.79 ± 1.68) to the second ART pregnancy (P2) (68.25 ± 1.68) (p = 0.015) as well as a difference in DL weight from P1 (79.88 ± 1.64) to P2 (81.13 ± 1.64) (p = 0.009). Additionally, we found a significant difference in PP BMI (kg/m2) from P1 (24.42 ± 0.6) to P2 (24.93 ± 0.6) (p = 0.02). There were no differences in GWG (p = 0.41) or the percentages of patients who were "below," "within," or "above" the recommended GWG in P1 vs. P2 (p = 0.61).Discussion
Participant PP weight, PP BMI, and DL weight increased from P1 to P2 while the overall rates of achieving the recommended GWG did not. Future prospective studies are needed to determine whether prevention of interpregnancy weight gain and optimization of GWG in ART patients are associated with improved maternal and neonatal outcomes.