Obesity is one of the leading causes of all-cause mortality in the world. Besides, the prevalence of obesity in women has more than doubled in the last four decades. But if obesity and adiposity in women increase the risk of obstetric or gynecological conditions is not known. This study aims to investigate the association between adiposity and the risk of obstetric or gynecological conditions.
This umbrella review of meta-analyses constituted information from the datasets of PubMed and Cochrane. The study included 144 meta-analyses evaluating the association between adiposity and the risk of any obstetric or gynecological outcome. The primary outcome was the incidence of gynecological or obstetric conditions.
Out of 144 meta-analyses with cohort studies, only eight exhibited conclusive evidence. The findings suggested that adiposity in women was linked with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, antenatal depression, ovarian cancer, pre-eclampsia, fetal macrosomia, low Apgar score, and total and emergency cesarean section. The risk of endometrial cancer was the highest, with each 0.1 unit increase in waist to hip ratio being associated with the risk of endometrial cancer up to 4.14.
The research concluded that in women, adiposity was associated with a significant risk of obstetric or gynecological conditions, especially endometrial cancer.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j4511
