~ 36 ~ International Journal of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2020; 4(6): 36-39 ISSN (P): 2522-6614 ISSN (E): 2522-6622 © Gynaecology Journal www.gynaecologyjournal.com 2020; 4(6): 36-39 Received: 25-08-2020 Accepted: 29-09-2020 Dr. Aishwarya Jagan Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Science, Osudu Agaram Village, Kudampakkam, Puducherry, India Dr. Karuppiah Pandi Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Science, Osudu Agaram Village, Kudampakkam, Puducherry, India Dr. Sendhil Coumary Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical college and Research Institute, Pillaiyarkuppam, Puducherry, India Corresponding Author: Dr. Aishwarya Jagan Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Science, Osudu Agaram Village, Kudampakkam, Puducherry, India Effect of body mass index on maternal and perinatal outcomes in nulliparous women: A prospective comparative study Dr. Aishwarya Jagan, Dr. Karuppiah Pandi and Dr. Sendhil Coumary DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/gynae.2020.v4.i6a.731 Abstract Background: Obesity in women has a significant impact on every aspect of female reproductive life both in terms of infertility and pregnancy complications. The aim of this study is to know the impact of Pre pregnancy BMI on the maternal and perinatal outcomes in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A prospective comparative study done at a tertiary care centre in South India. According to pre pregnancy body mass index (BMI), participants were categorized into two groups of 200 each, women with BMI 20-24.9Kg/m 2 belong to control group and overweight (BMI 25-29.9Kg/m 2 ) and obese (BMI > 30Kg/m 2 ) women belong to study group. The maternal and fetal outcomes were compared by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Compared to women with normal BMI, the following outcomes were significantly more in obese pregnant women gestational diabetes mellitus (RR=3.94); hypertensive disorders (RR=4.81) and large for gestational age (RR=9.43). Spontaneous onset of labour was recorded in 58.5% of women with normal pre- pregnancy BMI, whereas 54.5% of obese women had their labour induced. Among women with induced labor, obesity was a significant risk factor for delivery by C-section (p<0.001). Conclusion: It is readily apparent that obesity in pregnant women is associated with significant adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Keywords: Nulliparous women, body mass, pregnancy complications 1. Introduction Over the past two decades, obesity has emerged as a major public health problem globally [1, 2] . Obesity can be seen as the first wave of a defined cluster of noncommunicable diseases called "New World Syndrome," creating an enormous socioeconomic and public health burden. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the percentage of ever-married women aged 15-49 years who are overweight or obese increased from 11% in NFHS- 2 to 15% in NFHS-3. Body mass index (BMI) is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in square meters. In healthy adults, BMI ranges from 19.8 to 24.9. When BMI is between 25 and 29.9 it indicates overweight, and when BMI is 30 or more it indicates obesity [3] . Maternal obesity has become one of the most commonly occurring risk factors in obstetric practice [4, 5, 6] . Emerging evidence suggests obesity is associated with increased complications during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and into the postpartum period, as well as adverse neonatal outcomes which include fetal growth abnormalities such as macrosomia [7, 8] , neural tube defects [9] , and still birth [10, 11] . These have implications for obstetrical management and maternal and neonatal care [12, 13] . This study aimed to evaluate the association between Pre pregnancy Body Mass Index and their Obstetric and Perinatal outcomes during pregnancy. 2. Methods This is a hospital based prospective comparative study conducted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, from January 2017 to December 2017 on 400 singleton nulliparous women. The study protocol was approved by the Institute Ethics Committee. Informed consent was taken prior to the inclusion of the individual into the study.