Gestational weight gain and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes among women with gestational diabetes mellitus according to International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria: A cross sectional study

To evaluate the association of gestational weight gain and adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes among Brazilian women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Cross-sectional study conducted in women with GDM, and their newborns, who attended a public maternity hospital. The Institute of Medicine criteria were adopted to assess adequacy of gestational weight gain (GWG). Cesarean delivery, maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), premature birth, macrosomia, and birth weight adequacy for gestational age were analyzed as outcomes. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were tested to assess the effect of adequacy of GWG on maternal and newborn outcomes. Among the 545 women studied, 64.2% (n = 344) had inadequate weight gain: 27.2% (n = 146) insufficient and 37% (n = 198) excessive. Women with insufficient GWG were more likely to have a preterm birth (OR 2.57; 95% CI: 1.06–6.19), while those with excessive GWG had a greater chance of HDP (OR 2.62; 95% CI: 1.54–4.45) and large for gestational age newborn (OR 1.88; 95% CI: 1.08–3.29), compared with those with adequate weight gain. Inadequate gestational weight gain was frequent in women with GDM, especially in pregnant women with overweight and obesity, and is associated with unfavorable outcomes.