Context

Obesity (body mass index (BMI: kg/m²) ≥30) has become a major challenge for maternal health in the 21st century. In addition to the long-term health effects of obesity, excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and obesity are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality for mothers and their infants.1

Existing evidence on weight gain recommendations during pregnancy is limited.

The American Institute of Medicine (IOM)2 recommends certain GWG ranges according to women's pre-pregnancy BMI, including a weight gain of 5–9 kg for obese pregnant women. In their review of evidence, none of the controlled trials included have had sufficient statistical power to show benefits of GWG within the IOM guidelines, although …