EFFECT OF MATERNAL OBESITY ON MODE OF DELIVERY AND DURATION OF LABOUR

Introduction: Obesity has been designated as one of the most important global health threats worldwide, and its prevalence has been increasing among women of reproductive age. Pregnant ladies constitute a critical subpopulation with a hoisted danger of obesity because of over the top weight pick up. Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to analyze the effect of maternal obesity on mode of delivery and duration of labour in local female population of Pakistan. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Health Department Punjab during 2018 to 2019. The data we used for this purpose was secondary data which we obtain from the hospital record. We gathered the data of 200 females from the obstetric records of women with a singleton pregnancy delivering after 24 weeks of gestation. Results: According to the pre-pregnancy BMI, 96 women (11.5%) were underweight, 558 (67.1%) were of normal weight, 134 (16.1%) were overweight and 44 (5.3%) were obese. In addition, birth weight was significantly higher in overweight or obese women than in underweight women (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the four pre-pregnancy BMI categories in maternal age, parity, height and gestational week. Conclusion: We concluded that more obese women required IOL and that IOL for these women was associated with increased rates of caesarean section delivery. This relationship also held true when specifically examining the outcomes of women with prolonged pregnancy.