Obesity-related maternal complications during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To compare gestational weight gain (GWG) during pregnancy and obesity-related maternal morbidity between three months of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and three months of the previous year. Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted in a tertiary university-affiliated hospital. GWG, obesity rates and pregnancy complications were compared between the time periods. Results: Among women with class I obesity, GWG was higher during the pandemic (n = 1071) than the previous year (n = 1194): 11.16 vs. 8.69 kg, p = 0.04. Women during the pandemic compared to the previous year were less likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR] = 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47–0.91, p = 0.01) or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.35–1.0, p = 0.05) after adjustment for parity, mode of conception and advanced maternal age. Conclusions: Gestational weight gain increased during the pandemic, yet rates of obesity-related complications were notably fewer. This is likely attributed to decreased detection consequent to limited antenatal care.