January 2021 · Volume 10 · Issue 1 Page 26 International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology Elghazal Z et al. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jan;10(1):26-31 www.ijrcog.org pISSN 2320-1770 | eISSN 2320-1789 Original Research Article Maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnancy with high BMI in the Jabal Akhdar region of Libya Zahia Elghazal, Ream Langhe*, Nagat Bettamer, Karima Hamad INTRODUCTION Improvements of maternal, perinatal and child health are public health priorities. Maternal pre pregnancy body mass index (BMI) has noticeably increased among women of reproductive age in developed countries. In the United States, obesity is prevalent in more than one third of women, as well as more than one half of pregnant women. 8% of women at reproductive age are considered extremely obese, which make them at greater risk of pregnancy adverse outcomes. 1, 2 Rao AK et al (2006), described a significant difference in perinatal outcomes among subgroups of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and advised that mothers should be counseled regarding perinatal risk according to their specific Asian subgroup. 3 Ota E, et al (2011) revealed that African women were at higher risk of having a very small infant compared with Caucasian women. 4 Overweight maternal pre-pregnancy, obesity and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) are significant ABSTRACT Background: Overweight maternal pre-pregnancy, obesity and excessive gestational weight gain are significant risk factors for unfavorable maternal and perinatal outcomes during pregnancy. The association of obesity with maternal and perinatal outcomes is poorly understood in Jabal Akhdar region of Libya. This study was to examine maternal and perinatal outcomes in obese mothers compared to non-obese mothers in Jabal Akhdar region of Libya. Methods: This is a Cross sectional survey design study with internal comparison groups. The study was conducted between May 2015 and May 2016 in Jabal Akhdar region od Libya. A total of 415 women at reproductive age were deemed eligible for this study. BMI categories were defined as; underweight (BMI< 18.5), normal (BMI 18.5 - 24.99), overweight (BMI 25 - 29.99), grade I obesity (BMI 30 - 34.99), grade II obesity (BMI 35 - 39.99) and grade III obesity (BMI 40+). Data obtained in this study was analysed using SPSS, version 17.0 was used in analysis. Results: Of 415 women included in this study, 282 had a BMI <30 kg/m 2 and 133 women had a BMI >30 kg/m 2 . Pregnancy-induced hypertension was more prevalent in obese mothers compared to non-obese women. The rate of operative delivery and caesarean section were also demonstrated between obese and non-obese mothers and these differences were significant. Conclusions: This study demonstrates extent of obstetric risks associated with obesity in pregnancy, though more research is required to fully elucidate the effect that maternal obesity is having on maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnancy in Libyan populations. Since high weight gain is a modifiable risk factor, pre pregnancy health education awareness of health care providers, good behavioral counseling and weight control program during pregnancy should help to modify this risk. Keywords: Caesarean section, Jabal Akhdar, Maternal obesity, Maternal outcomes, Pregnancy Department of Medicine, University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya Received: 06 November 2020 Revised: 12 December 2020 Accepted: 14 December 2020 *Correspondence: Dr. Ream Langhe, E-mail: reamlanghe@yahoo.co.uk Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20205750