Women who fail to lose excess weight after having a baby could be risking the health of future pregnancies.
A study published in The Lancet said that even a few pounds can make all the difference, even in women who aren't overweight.
The study looked at 150,000 women and found that an increase of only 1 or 2 BMI (Body Mass Index) was enough to increase the risk of future problems. A healthy BMI is scored between 18 and 25 and is calculated by working out weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres) squared. A score higher than 25 is classed as overweight, whilst over 30 is classed as obese.
The researchers say the findings are a concern given the increasing rates of obesity. It has been estimated the two thirds of women will be overweight by the year 2010. It is already known that women who are overweight will find it harder to becaome pregnant and could face complications in their pregnancy.
However, this Swedish study found that women who gained one to two BMI units over an average of two years between having their first baby and becoming pregnant with their second child increased their risk of pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure by 20-40 per cent.
They also found that an increased BMI of 3 increased the risk of a stillbirth.
One of the authors of the report, Dr Eduardo Villamor, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US, said, "Women do not need to become overweight or obese in order to increase their chances of having poor gestational outcomes. A relatively modest increase in weight between pregnancies could lead to serious illnesses."
Professor Adam Balem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said,
"Women do find it harder to lose weight after pregnancy. The best advice is for women to try and breastfeed and do your best to maintain a level of fitness and return to your pre-pregnancy weight before embarking on another pregnancy."
However, Gillian Fletcher of the National Childbirth Trust stressed that they needed to be cautious about what sort of message they are giving to women.
"So many women try to lose weight postnatally and may well go the other way and lose too much."
She added that crash dieting was dangerous, especially for women who were breastfeeding.
September 2006 | 
Improve Your Fitness - No More Excuses!
