Excessive Weight Gain in Pregnancy and Postpartum Weight Retention: a Comprehensive View on the Topic

More than a decade ago, World Health Organization declared that obesity had reached epidemic proportions [1]. It’s uninamous that this condition has a multifactorial etiology and the excessive amount of weight gained in pregnancy and postpartum retention have been studied as potential contributors. Excessive weight during pregnancy can also affect the health of the mother and her infant. Consequences for the mother include increased risk for hypertension, gestational diabetes, complications during labor and unsucessful breastfeeding; for the fetus it can cause stillbirth, newborns large for gestational age and possibly higher body mass index at older ages [2].