Anemia and obesity as a risk factor during pregnancy: A retrospective study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37800/RM.2.2025.493Keywords:
obesity, anemia, pregnancy, risk factors, pregnancy outcomes, macrosomia, cesarean sectionAbstract
Relevance: In recent years, obesity and anemia have become two of the most common pathologies during pregnancy, with significant implications for both maternal and fetal health. The World Health Organization reports obesity in 15-20% pregnant women worldwide. Anemia is diagnosed in approximately 38% of pregnant women, reaching 50% in low- and middle-income countries. In CIS countries, up to 25% of pregnant women have obesity, while 30-40% experience anemia during gestation.
The study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity and anemia on the course of pregnancy and childbirth, including the risks of preterm birth, preeclampsia, macrosomia, and anemia in newborns.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Regional Perinatal Center No.2 in Karaganda (Kazakhstan). The sample consisted of 500 pregnant women observed between 2023 and 2024. Of these, 150 women were obese, 200 were anemic, and 50 were both. The control group consisted of 100 women not presenting the above risk factors. The data for the study were collected from medical records, which included information on the course of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
Results: In this study, anemia was the most common risk factor (40% of the examined women), followed by obesity (30%). Only 20% of women were neither obese nor anemic, indicating a fairly high prevalence of these conditions in the general population. The combination of obesity and anemia (10% of patients) required special attention to this group with an increased risk of complicated pregnancy and unfavorable perinatal outcomes. Anemia increased the risk of preterm delivery almost twofold. Obesity increased the likelihood of cesarean section by 2.8 times and was also associated with fetal macrosomia. The combination of anemia and obesity increased the risk of preeclampsia by 4 times.
Conclusions: Obesity and anemia are significant risk factors in pregnancy that can lead to serious complications for the mother and fetus. Regular monitoring, early diagnosis, and effective treatment of these conditions will reduce the likelihood of adverse outcomes and improve the quality of medical care for pregnant women.
References
Wawer AA, Hodyl NA, Fairweather-Tait S, Froessler B. Are pregnant women who are living with overweight or obesity at greater risk of developing iron deficiency/anaemia? Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1572.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051572
Zhao B, Sun M, Wu T. The association between maternal anemia and neonatal anemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024;24(1):677. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06832-1
Wang Y, Xu T, Hao Y. Anemia during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025;25(1):1-15.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-04452-0
Андреева Е.Н., Шереметьева Е.В., Фурсенко В.А. Ожирение – угроза репродуктивного потенциала России. Ожирение и метаболизм. 2019;16(3):20-28.
Andreeva EN, Sheremetyeva EV, Fursenko VA. Obesity – threat to the reproductive potential of Russia. Obesity and metabolism. 2019;16(3):20-28. Russian.
https://doi.org/10.14341/omet10340
World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight [Internet]. World Health Organization. 2024. Available from:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
World Health Organization. Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2018. Geneva: WHO; 2018. Available from:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/ncd-country-profiles-2018
Тайжанова Д.Ж., Рустембеккызы Ж., Амирбекова Ж.Т., Комличенко Э.В., Понамарева О.А., Жанабаева С.У. Исходы беременности у женщин с предгестационным ожирением. Репрод Мед. 2023;1:109-115.
Taizhanova DZh, Rustembekkyzy Zh, Amirbekova ZhT, Komlichenko EV, Ponamareva ОA, Janabaeva SU. Pregnancy outcomes in women with pregestational obesity. Reprod Med. 2023;1(54):109-115.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Н.Р. Шайық, М.Я. Жумакожанова, Д.М. Исабекова, Ж.Т. Амирбекова
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The articles published in this Journal are licensed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International) license, which provides for their non-commercial use only. Under this license, users have the right to copy and distribute the material in copyright but are not permitted to modify or use it for commercial purposes. Full details on the licensing are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
