# Gestational overweight decreased risk of antepartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with complete placenta previa: a retrospective study

## TL;DR

Pregnant women with complete placenta previa who are overweight during pregnancy have a lower risk of antepartum hemorrhage.

## Contribution

This study identifies that gestational overweight is associated with reduced antepartum hemorrhage risk in complete placenta previa.

## Key findings

- 40.4% of pregnancies with complete placenta previa experienced antepartum hemorrhage.
- Overweight women at delivery had a 2.18 times higher likelihood of avoiding antepartum hemorrhage.
- Higher maternal weight and BMI were associated with lower antepartum hemorrhage risk after adjusting for confounders.

## Abstract

Antepartum hemorrhage (APH) is associated with perinatal mortality and maternal morbidity. Previous studies have reported that obesity in pregnancy adversely influences both fetal and neonatal outcomes. This study aimed to investigate gestational overweight and the risk of APH in pregnant women with complete placenta previa (CPP).

This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with CPP delivery at our hospital from 2013 to 2015. Outcomes were stratified according to APH and non-APH.

Of 193 pregnancies with CPP, 40.4% (78) were diagnosed with APH. Maternal weight and BMI at delivery were significantly decreased in women with APH (61.15 ± 8.73 vs. 65.22 ± 7.80, 24.47 ± 3.12 vs. 26.21 ± 2.85; P = 0.001, P = 0.001; respectively), and the prevalence of overweight at delivery was higher in the non-APH group compared to those in the APH group (54.9% (62) vs. 39.7% (27); OR 2.18; 95%CI [1.16–4.11]). After adjusting for gestation week and other potential confounding factors, maternal weight and BMI were associated with the APH (OR 0.95, 95%CI [0.91–0.99]; 0.85, 95%CI [0.75–0.97], respectively).

Appropriate weight gain during pregnancy may decrease the risk of antepartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with complete placenta previa.