The relationship between body mass index in late pregnancy and fetomaternal blood flow parameters: A prospective cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate a possible relationship between body mass index and fetomaternal blood flow parameters in women with termpregnancy.Material and Methods: This study was performed on pregnant women undergoing routine third trimester ultrasound scans. Womenwere divided into four groups [underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2) andobese (≥30 kg/m2)]. The uterine artery (UtA), umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) were examined using colorDoppler according to the standard protocols. The systole/diastole (S/D) ratio, pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI) valuesof UtA, UA and MCA were recorded.Results: All Doppler findings were found to be similar among normal weight, overweight and obese women. There was apositive correlation between UtA-RI and maternal BMI (r=0.350; p