International Women’s Day

Recently, Ramachandran Thiruvengadam et al. described the pattern of gestational weight gain (GWG) in a prospective pregnancy (GARBH-Ini) cohort from Gurugram Civil Hospital, Gurugram, North India, and compared their findings with the INTERGROWTH–21st reference. The authors observed that GWG in Indian women was significantly less than prescribed by the INTERGROWTH–21st reference. Whereas INTERGROWTH–21st prescribes an average cumulative GWG of 7.47 kg (week 28), 9.52 kg (week 32), 11.58 kg (week 36), and 13.69 kg (week 40), normal weight Northern Indian women have an average cumulative GWG of 4.95 kg (week 28), 6.43 kg (week 32), 7.87 kg (week 36), and 8.8 kg (week 40). The cumulative GWG of obese Northern Indian women was even smaller. The study questions the primacy of western estimates of an appropriate GWG. Ethnic differences in GWG matter. Particularly in view of historic data as an additional source of information, it is highly recommended to incorporate ethnic characteristics in clinical decisions when assessing the individual weight gain of a pregnant woman. The study is a strong motivator for establishing local references for GWG.