#6-20E. Rethinking Gestational Weight Gain Targets to Reduce Severe Maternal Morbidity (JAMA Netw Open, 2026)

How does gestational weight gain impact severe maternal morbidity across different prepregnancy BMI categories? In this population-based cohort study of over one million pregnancies, excessive gestational weight gain significantly increased severe maternal morbidity risk across all BMI categories, with lowest-risk weight gain targets differing from current guidelines. Although limited by reliance on delivery-admission data and linear weight gain assumptions, these findings underscore that standard weight recommendations may fail to optimize maternal safety. Clinicians should move beyond generic guidelines toward personalized, risk-stratified weight gain counseling based on baseline BMI and medical comorbidities.

Citation: Khademioore S, Darling EK, D'Souza R, Muraca GM, Guo Y, Anderson LN. Weight Gain During Pregnancy and Severe Maternal Morbidity. JAMA Network Open. 2026.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.40027

Disclaimer: This audio summary is based on personal interpretation and does not guarantee the exact content of the original paper. Please refer to the original article for details.