Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Perinatal factors relating to changes in maternal body fat in late gestation

Journal of Perinatology volume 33, pages 934–938 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To examine changes in skinfolds in late gestation in healthy women.

Study Design:

Skinfold measures were performed in 39 women at 30.8 (mean) and 37.7 weeks gestation. Fat mass (kg) and sum of three skinfolds were calculated.

Results:

A decrease in skinfold thickness was observed in 21 women (−3.1±2.1 mm) in late gestation, whereas 18 women had an increase (4.3±3.2 mm), P<0.001. The group of women who lost body fat (decrease in skinfold thickness) had a trend toward greater pregravid body mass index (BMI, 25 vs 22 kg/m2, P=0.06), and gained less weight in late gestation (3.0 vs 4.3 kg, P=0.042). On multiple regression, maternal age and gestational weight gain were positively correlated with fat mass accrual, whereas pregravid BMI and dietary fiber were negative determinants of late gestational fat mass.

Conclusion:

Increases in maternal fat mass in late gestation were related to maternal age and gestational weight gain, whereas decreases were related to increased pregravid BMI and dietary fiber.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Taggart NR, Holliday RM, Billewicz WZ, Hytten FE, Thomson AM . Changes in skinfolds during pregnancy. Br J Nutr 1967; 21 (2): 439–451.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hytten FE . Weight gain in pregnancy In: Hytten FE, Chamberlain G (eds). Clinical Physiology in Obstetrics. Blackwell Scientific Publishing: Oxford, UK, 1980 pp 193–233.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ash S, Fisher CC, Truswell AS, Allen JR, Irwig L . Maternal weight gain, smoking and other factors in pregnancy as predictors of infant birth-weight in Sydney women. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 1989; 29 (3 Pt 1): 212–219.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ehrenberg HM, Dierker L, Milluzzi C, Mercer BM . Prevalence of maternal obesity in an urban center. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 187 (5): 1189–1193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Scholl TO, Hediger ML, Schall JI, Khoo CS, Fischer RL . Maternal growth during pregnancy and the competition for nutrients. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 60 (2): 183–188.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Villar J, Cogswell M, Kestler E, Castillo P, Menendez R, Repke JT . Effect of fat and fat-free mass deposition during pregnancy on birth weight. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1992; 167 (5): 1344–1352.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Carpenter MW, Coustan DR . Criteria for screening tests for gestational diabetes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1982; 144 (7): 768–773.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Taylor HL, Jacobs DR Jr., Schucker B, Knudsen J, Leon AS, Debacker G . A questionnaire for the assessment of leisure time physical activities. J Chronic Dis 1978; 31 (12): 741–755.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R . Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual. Human Kinetics Books: Champaign, IL, USA, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Huston Presley L, Wong WW, Roman NM, Amini SB, Catalano PM . Anthropometric estimation of maternal body composition in late gestation. Obstet Gynecol 2000; 96 (1): 33–37.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Oken E, Kleinman KP, Rich-Edwards J, Gillman MW . A nearly continuous measure of birth weight for gestational age using a United States national reference. BMC Pediatr 2003; 3: 6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hediger ML, Scholl TO, Schall JI, Healey MF, Fischer RL . Changes in maternal upper arm fat stores are predictors of variation in infant birth weight. J Nutr 1994; 124 (1): 24–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ehrenberg HM, Huston-Presley L, Catalano PM . The influence of obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus on accretion and the distribution of adipose tissue in pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 189 (4): 944–948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Soltani H, Fraser RB . A longitudinal study of maternal anthropometric changes in normal weight, overweight and obese women during pregnancy and postpartum. Br J Nutr 2000; 84 (1): 95–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Bronstein MN, Mak RP, King JC . Unexpected relationship between fat mass and basal metabolic rate in pregnant women. Br J Nutr 1996; 75 (5): 659–668.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. King JC . Maternal obesity, metabolism, and pregnancy outcomes. Annu Rev Nutr 2006; 26: 271–291.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kopp-Hoolihan LE, van Loan MD, Wong WW, King JC . Fat mass deposition during pregnancy using a four-component model. J Appl Physiol 1999; 87 (1): 196–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank participants and study staff of the Clinical Research Unit of the CTSC at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland. Financial support was provided by NICHD HD 22965–19, Translational Science Awards grant UL-1 RRO24989; the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, grant number UL1TR000439. The CTSA program is led by the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). LMB is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship #605837.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia

    L J Maple-Brown

  2. Division of Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

    L J Maple-Brown

  3. Clinical Research Unit, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    N M Roman

  4. Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    A Thomas

  5. Department of Reproductive Biology, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    L H Presley & P M Catalano

Authors
  1. L J Maple-Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N M Roman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L H Presley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P M Catalano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L J Maple-Brown.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maple-Brown, L., Roman, N., Thomas, A. et al. Perinatal factors relating to changes in maternal body fat in late gestation. J Perinatol 33, 934–938 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2013.109

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2013.109

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links