Lifestyle intervention and prevention of spontaneous preterm delivery in obese pregnant women

Abstract

Maternal obesity and preterm birth (PTB) both contribute to increased risk of infant morbidity and mortality.The association between obesity per se and increased risk of spontaneous PTB is not fully understood but is recently demonstrated from large population-based studies.This fact gives rise to speculate if lifestyle intervention and prevention of obesity may reduce the risk of spontaneous PTB.This chapter highlights the existing literature about lifestyle intervention in obese pregnant women and discusses the implication of intervention to prevent PTB in ongoing and future studies.