Obesity Carries Pregnancy Risks

Women who are obese during pregnancy have a higher risk than normal-weight women of having babies with certain birth defects, including neural tube defects such as spina bifida, heart problems, and cleft palate and lip, according to a new review.

"It is important to note that birth defects are a rare event and occur in 2%-4% of pregnancies, so the risk remains very low," says Judith Rankin, PhD, a study co-author and a reader in material and perinatal epidemiology at the University of Newcastle in England. "The last thing we want to do is scare women.? Click here for full article.