Complications and Risks of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Offspring’s Life in Obese Women

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen to epidemic proportions worldwide. Consequently, the number of obesity in pregnancy has risen drastically. Gestational overweight and obesity are associated with impaired outcomes for mother and child. Furthermore, studies show that maternal obesity can lead to long-term consequences in the offspring, increasing the risk for obesity and cardiometabolic disease in later life. Inflammation was altered in late pregnancy with increased activation of macrophages and increased expression of cytokine genes in the placenta, as well as increased levels of certain cytokines in the fetal bloodstream in obesity compared to pregnancies of normal weight. These changes in macrophage activation and cytokine gene expression were more pronounced and significant in the placentas accompanying male embryos. These data provide insight into placental changes in obesity and reveal potential links between placental inflammation and disease programming in the mother's obese offspring.