A recent study published in PLoS ONE examines how excessive weight gain during pregnancy relates to prolonged labor and complications during delivery among Japanese women.
Prolonged labor, also known as failure to progress, is a condition where labor progresses slowly, risking significant harm to both mother and baby, including death. Despite affecting only 8% of pregnancies globally, its incidence is rising. Previous research has focused on methods to speed up labor, but few studies have identified risk factors for prolonged labor.
Factors like nulliparity, regional anesthesia, older maternal age, high birth weight, shorter maternal stature, and excessive weight gain are associated with increased risk. Excessive weight gain, specifically, has been linked to higher chances of prolonged labor.
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The study, based on data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), investigated the connection between excessive weight gain and prolonged labor using new recommendations from the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). Data were collected from women recruited between January 2011 and March 2014 across 15 centers in Japan.
Out of 104,062 participants, 71,154 met the study criteria. Results showed that women with excessive weight gain during pregnancy, as defined by JSOG guidelines, had higher rates of prolonged labor. The study found that 15,996 women exceeded recommended weight gains, primarily those with pre-pregnancy BMI over 25 kg/m2.
Statistical analyses, including logistic regressions and Kaplan-Meier analysis, confirmed a significant association between excessive weight gain and prolonged labor. The findings suggest that excessive weight gain during pregnancy increases the risk of prolonged labor for both first-time and multiparous mothers.
These results underscore the importance of monitoring weight gain during pregnancy to mitigate the risks associated with prolonged labor. Further research is needed to validate these findings and refine recommendations for maternal care.
