• Janni Kristensen, Mogens Vestergaard, Kirsten Wisborg, Ulrik Kesmodel, and Niels Jørgen Secher.
• Perinatal Epidemiological Research Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
• BJOG. 2005 Apr 1;112(4):403-8.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death and to study the causes of death among the children.DesignCohort study of pregnant women receiving routine antenatal care in Aarhus, Denmark.SettingAarhus University Hospital, Denmark, 1989-1996.PopulationA total of 24,505 singleton pregnancies (112 stillbirths, 75 neonatal deaths) were included in the analyses.MethodsInformation on maternal pre-pregnancy weight, height, lifestyle factors and obstetric risk factors were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and hospital files. We classified the population according to pre-pregnancy BMI as underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (BMI 30.0 kg/m(2) or more).Main Outcome MeasuresStillbirth and neonatal death and causes of death.ResultsMaternal obesity was associated with a more than doubled risk of stillbirth (odds ratio = 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-5.3) and neonatal death (odds ratio = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2-5.8) compared with women of normal weight. No statistically significantly increased risk of stillbirth or neonatal death was found among underweight or overweight women. Adjustment for maternal cigarette smoking, alcohol and caffeine intake, maternal age, height, parity, gender of the child, years of schooling, working status and cohabitation with partner did not change the conclusions, nor did exclusion of women with hypertensive disorders or diabetes mellitus. No single cause of death explained the higher mortality in children of obese women, but more stillbirths were caused by unexplained intrauterine death and fetoplacental dysfunction among obese women compared with normal weight women.ConclusionMaternal obesity more than doubled the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death in our study. The present and other studies linking maternal obesity to an increased risk of severe adverse pregnancy outcomes emphasise the need for public interventions to prevent obesity in young women.

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