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October 24, 2022
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Weight change between pregnancies achieved by fertility treatment not linked to outcomes

Fact checked byRichard Smith
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Weight change between two pregnancies conceived through assisted reproductive technology was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to findings presented here.

However, weight loss between two pregnancies conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) was associated with greater gestational weight gain in the second pregnancy.

Data derived from Voss KA, et al. Inter-pregnancy weight change in assisted reproduction and pregnancy outcomes. Presented at: ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo; Oct. 22-26, 2022; Anaheim, California.
Data derived from Voss KA, et al. Inter-pregnancy weight change in assisted reproduction and pregnancy outcomes. Presented at: ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo; Oct. 22-26, 2022; Anaheim, California.

“A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that in non-ART pregnancies, inter-pregnancy weight gain was consistently associated with higher obstetrical risks in subsequent pregnancies,” Kathryn A. Voss, MD, MS, a resident physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, said in a presentation.

Voss and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review at their institution to identify patients who had two pregnancies conceived using ART that resulted in live births. Patients were categorized by interpregnancy weight change — gain greater than 3 kg, loss greater than 3 kg and stable weight defined as fluctuations of less than 3 kg — to determine the impact of weight change on gestational weight gain in both pregnancies, as well as pregnancy outcomes during the second pregnancy.

In total, 127 patients were included in the study. Data showed that patients who lost weight between pregnancies were more likely to be younger (P = .02) and have a higher BMI before their first pregnancy (P = .003).

Weight loss between pregnancies was associated with greater gestational weight gain during the second pregnancy (P < .001), whereas weight gain between pregnancies was associated with less gestational weight gain during the second pregnancy. There were no differences in gestational weight gain during the first pregnancy between groups.

Analyses of maternal and neonatal outcomes revealed no differences between groups for incidence of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related hypertension, placental abruption, cesarean section, NICU admission or birth weight.

“Despite evidence that modest inter-pregnancy weight gain is associated with increased obstetrical complications among spontaneous conceptions, we did not observe a similar trend in our population who conceived with ART,” Voss said. “Larger cohort studies are needed to confirm that inter-pregnancy weight gain is not associated with obstetrical complications in ART pregnancies.”