Did losing weight reduce risk of PE again??

[laurad]

Hi guys,

My OB & MFM told me if I lose weight appox 40-50lbs I would reduce my risk of getting PE in my second pregnancy. I know that obesity is a risk factor especially after not having PE run in the family and no other additional risk factors. My doctors are thinking if I lose the weight, I will have a better chance at having a healthy non-PE pregnacy, so I am on a mission to drop the weight before we get pregnant with baby #2. I am not a terribly heavy woman - size 14 but he said if I can get down to a healthy BMI, I would have less of a chance developing PE again. I know that there are women who are at a healthy weight and still develop PE, but my doc's concerns are more around being a higher risk for PE because of my weight.

My question is... Did any of you ladies, lose weight before getting pregnant and then not have PE again? I was just curious to find out if someone did lose the weight and have a better outcome because they were at a healthier weight.

Thanks so much, Ladies!!

Laura

[jennyashe1]

I'm really curious about this too! I am obese and have been most of my adult life. I have gotten Pre-E both pregnancies and delivered son #1 at 33.6 and son # 2 at 34.2 . Dr said if i lose 50 lbs chances are much lower it will come back. i'm not seeeing the research to back it.... i've been trying to lose weight but much easier said than done. i'm getting the baby itch and would love to start trying for #3 but if losing the weigh will really make a big difference than i'll wait..

[laurad]

Hi Jenny,

This is the thing I have been most curious about in terms of weight contributing to PE. It's been tough to lose and I have been postponing losing the weight maybe out of fear that once I lose the weight it will be baby making time and I am afraid to get preggers again so I am using the weight as a security blanket. Either way, when September hit, I said to myself it is"now or never". If I don't lose this weight in the next 6 mos - to year we have decided no baby #2 for us. Per my doctor, I should definitely NOT get pregnant at this weight. I am hoping he is right and that losing the weight will be the thing that prevents me from getting it again.

Hope there are some women here on the forum that will post their experience with losing the weight before getting pregnant again.



Laura

[tree]

I am pretty sure that there are women on the board who have had PE at lighter and heavier weights. The data on weight loss isn't great, but it is generally thought to be helpful.
My doctor had mixed feelings on the weight loss. I put on a lot of weight (>60 lbs) while I was pregnant, and it stuck around. I asked her if it would help me to get back to my previous normal weight, and she said that weight loss was unlikely to help me but that it definitely wouldn't hurt. I had about 25 lbs left to lose this winter and have dropped 16 of those in the last 5 months. I decided to lose the weight because I feel stronger and healthier at my normal weight. I also feel like I would recover faster if I got sick again. I was in really good shape before I got pregnant, and it still took me almost 18 months to feel human again after HELLP. I know that I can't do much about my risk of getting sick again. Losing weight gives me a (probably false) feeling of control over my body, and I think it gives me a fighting chance for next time.
I would be happy to restart the weight loss buddies thread if there is some interest. It helped get me started. Good luck with your weight loss. I

[jennyashe1]

I think i am scared to lose the weight too! I know even if the weight loss doesnt help me avoid PE it will at least help me heal faster/better. I need to lose about 35 lbs before TTC. I have been trying to do low carb since I have PCOS and so far it seems to be working! I'm also looking into doing that research study with the University of Vermont. Anyone know anthying about it? I'm not too far from VT and I figure once i do get pregnant the more people I have looking after me the better! My OB doesnt seem overly concerned with the fact I've had this 2x now! She just says there isnt much they know about Pre E and losing weight might help but might not. I think i want to call her to get a reccomendation to a MFM, but scared she'll get offended!

[danielsmom]

It's not well studied. I'd say go for it though. It kind of falls into the "can't hurt, can only help" category. No matter what the numbers show on this, it's widely known that a body functions better overall when a person is in good shape. It's less strain on your organs and so forth, and you're going to want that especially after 20 weeks. And it's proven to help a hypertensive non-pregnant person.

Here's a study I found:
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/41/6/1273.short

Everyone always says 'oh take it easy' when you're pregnant, but the reality is, it's good to have the thin well-oxygenated blood running through your veins that you get through physical activity. And when you are pregnant, you should only do what you were accustomed to doing before you were pregnant. Good luck.

[laurad]

Thanks Ladies, and thank you danielsmom for the link! I saved that. I am not a small woman by any means, but I do work out 4 days a week so its good to know that if I keep working out until we TTC in the Spring and during my pregnancy that there are risks that show go down because of the level of health and physical fitness. I was VERY sedentary during my pregnancy, so this time around, I am going to do things differently. I thought it was my job to eat whatever I wanted, and lay around and do nothing, little did I know it could contributed to my

Tree, I would like to join the weightloss buddies if you start that thread! It will definitely make me accountable reporting into my fellow PE survivors!!

Laura

[blythe]

Great study to link to, Danielsmom!

I know it's overwhelming, but Caryn has collected studies on a lot of common topics and posted them here viewtopic.php?f=28&t=26469
there are over a dozen in the "Dietary and exercise factors and preeclampsia" section, and more in "Body Mass Index and preeclampsia".

My anecdote is that my BMI was 25 before getting pregnant with my first, 23 with my second, and 19 before my third. My blood pressure started going up at 35 weeks with my first, 36 weeks with my second, and 27 weeks with my third. I delivered at 37 weeks with all three of them, so my not-a-doc guess is that for me pregnancy is unmasking tendencies to chronic hypertension and that getting older, despite losing weight, made pregnancy harder on my body... but that's just a guess.

[Nadenet1229]

I am still obese right now. I lost 23 pounds since my pregnancy and I lose about 2 pounds a week. I know weight can be a contributing factor but not definite. My very close friend is shorter than me and weighs 330 pounds and never had any issue at all during her pregnancy. But to be safe, I started counting calories and I allow myself only 1500 mg of sodium a day. I can tell you I've noticed the difference in bloating since I reduced my sodium to that amount. I figure losing weight and watching my sodium can't hurt anything, so why not? If I lose about another 20 or 30 I will be considered overweight, not obese anymore. So its a goal.

[riehlism]

I am fluffy and got pregnant again before losing weight. I lost my baby weight, but that was about it. I had no PE or HELLP, or blood pressure issues before, during, and after the delivery. I am currently 5 weeks postpartum.

I attribute the obesity and weight issue like this: fluffier people may have (or may be more susceptible) to increased blood pressure due to deconditioning and inactivity. That's my take on that. Plus, I'm sure the skinny minis on the forums who had PE or HELLP might take issue with being categorized and slightly fluffy.