HHS HealthBeat (March 23, 2010)

Pregnancy weight and diabetes

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Women are supposed to gain some weight during pregnancy. But a study finds that large gains, especially in the first trimester, can raise a woman’s risk of pregnancy-related diabetes.

Monique Hedderson of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research saw that in data on more than 1,100 women, of whom 345 developed gestational diabetes:

"We found the association was even stronger among women who were overweight or obese at the start of their pregnancy." (6 seconds)

Hedderson says women who gained more than medical guidelines recommend had a 50 percent greater risk. But she says women, working with their doctors, might control their weight and reduce their risk.

The study in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 21, 2011