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Session: From the Womb to the World: Impact of Prenatal and Perinatal Exposures on Offspring Outcomes (Oral 21)

(OR21-07-23) Gestational Weight Gain and Its Effect on Short- and Long-Term Postpartum Weight Retention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Monday, July 24, 2023
5:12 PM – 5:24 PM ET
Location:  Constitution B

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Dora Meyer, PhD, MSPH (she/her/hers)

    Postdoctoral Associate
    Institute of Nutritional Medicine, Technical University of Munich
    Munich 80803, Bayern, Germany

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • EG

    Ejona Gjika

    Technical University of Munich

  • HH

    Hans Hauner

    Technical University of Munich

  • SM

    Sophie Michel

    University of California, Los Angeles

  • RR

    Roxana Raab

    Technical University of Munich

Disclosure(s):
Dora Meyer: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Gestational weight gain (GWG) can influence maternal weight trajectories after childbirth. This review provides an update and extension of an earlier meta-analysis examining the short and long-term effect of GWG on postpartum weight retention (PPWR).

Methods: We conducted a systematic search in four electronic databases for articles published in English, German, or French since January 2011. All keywords related to gestational weight gain (GWG) and postpartum weight retention (PPWR) were used. Meta-analyses were performed to quantify effect estimates for associations between a) GWG as a continuous variable and PPWR, using fully-adjusted regression coefficients from linear mean models, b) GWG defined according to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) categories (i.e. inadequate, adequate or excessive GWG) and crude differences in mean PPWR, and c) any ( > 0 kg) or substantial ( ≥ ~5 kg) PPWR, using fully-adjusted regression coefficients from logistic regression models.

Results: Thirty-four studies were included, of which 18 were combined in meta-analyses. We found that women with excessive GWG retained an additional 2.98 kg (95% CI: 0.59, 5.37 kg, I2=91%) at 0.5 years, 1.89 kg (95% CI: 0.90, 2.88 kg, I2=61%) at > 0.5 – 1 year and 2.89 kg (95% CI: 1.74, 4.04 kg, I2=0%) at 2 – 4 years, compared to women who met the NAM GWG recommendations. Moreover, each 1 kg increase of GWG corresponded to an additional PPWR of 0.62 kg (95% CI: 0.22, 1.02 kg, I2=96%) at 6 – 9 months, 0.48 kg (95% CI: 0.14, 0.81 kg, I2=93%) at 1 – 3 years, and 0.31 kg (95% CI: -0.24, 0.86 kg, I2=89%) at 5 – 7 years after childbirth.

Conclusions: Excessive weight gain in pregnancy appears to contribute to increased maternal body weight in both the short- and long-term after childbirth, independent of pre-pregnancy BMI. The heterogeneity of reported data and differences in study design across studies complicate the ability to synthesize data and interpret findings.

Funding Sources: This study was partially funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, Bad Homburg, Germany. The funding organization had no role in the conception, literature review, or results presentation; nor were they involved in writing the manuscript.