Preterm Delivery Due To Overweight Women

If you're overweight, you run a higher risk of preterm delivery, and as a result, of endangering the life and health of your baby. According to a study shared on MedPage Today, obese and severely obese women had a two to three times greater chance of delivering a baby early at 22 to 27 weeks after conception than women with healthy weights at conception.

In fact, extra weight causes more than just premature births; it can result in severe health issues concerning the mother and the baby. 

"There are a whole slew of problems associated with patients who are obese when pregnant — everything from preterm labor to gestational diabetes to preeclampsia to macrosomia and large babies," says Eugene Scioscia, MD, of West Penn Allegheny Health System in Pittsburgh.

Obesity has replaced smoking as the number one complication associated with pregnancy, according to Scioscia.