Obesity is a significant health issue for women during pregnancy and childbirth, with approximately 50% of women entering pregnancy with BMI >25kg/m2. Increasing maternal BMI is a recognised risk factor for the development of gestational diabetes, the two conditions sharing a similar metabolic environment associated with hyperinsulinaemia, hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and low-grade chronic inflammation. The developmental over-nutrition hypothesis was developed in the 1950’s to attempt to explain the relationship between maternal diabetes in pregnancy and fetal overgrowth. More recently, the hypothesis has been expanded to account for the potential impact of maternal obesity.
While maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of fetal macrosomia, relatively few studies have assessed its impact on ultrasound determined measures of fetal growth and adiposity. This presentation will present some of the findings from the LIMIT randomised trial relating to fetal growth.