Even before last week’s release of revised pregnancy weight-gain guidelines, a researcher at the University of Rochester School of Nursing was studying why certain women gain more pounds than others and searching for ways to help them maintain healthy weights.
Susan Groth, Ph.D., R.N., W.H.N.P.-B.C., assistant professor at the School of Nursing, is looking at the relationship between women’s physical activity levels during pregnancy and the amount of weight gained. She wants to find out if these levels are impacted by the presence of a particular gene.
“The hope is that if this study proves there is indeed a link, then we can tell women how much physical activity they need to do to counter the genetic component and keep their weight gain at a healthy point leading to better outcomes for them and for their babies,” said Groth.
Excessive weight gain during pregnancy can have adverse effects including higher risk for cesarean section, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure for the mother, and large-for-gestational-age babies. Babies born to mothers who have excessive weight gain are also more likely to suffer obesity down the road. These health problems along with the rise in obesity in America led the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to issue new guidelines. Of particular note is the IOM’s recommendation that women who are obese at the start of their pregnancies limit their gain to 11 to 20 pounds.
“The new IOM guidelines are important in providing guidance in advising all women on the appropriate weight gain that leads to the best maternal and fetal outcomes, balancing benefit for both,” said Groth. “For my research, the addition of guidelines for obese women provides a structure that we did not have for them until these came out.”