Context

Although there are several published reports establishing the association of maternal obesity with adverse pregnancy outcomes, few explore these associations independent of glycaemia. Previous research on this topic have either not reported data on blood glucose levels or confined the analysis to women without recorded gestational diabetes. This leaves a large group of pregnant women who have impaired glucose tolerance but not quite clinically diagnosed gestational diabetes whose risks in pregnancy remain poorly understood. The HAPO (Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome) study aimed to describe any adverse outcomes in these women. As part of this epidemiological investigation, accurate data on height and weight of women were collected and utilised in the present analysis to assess the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in obese women independent of their glycaemic status.