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QuickStats: Percentage of Women* Who Gained >40 Pounds During Pregnancy, by Race/Ethnicity† of Mother --- United States, 1990, 2000, and 2005§

* Includes only mothers with a singleton delivery.

† Includes only non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic mothers (who might be of any race).

§ The total number of women who gained >40 pounds was 456,678 in 1990, 588,253 in 2000, and 656,363 in 2005.

Since 1989, data on weight gain of women during pregnancy have been collected on U.S. birth certificates. Weight gain of >40 pounds during pregnancy is not recommended for women having a singleton birth, regardless of the woman's height and prepregnancy weight. Excessive weight gain is associated with greater risk for gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and other adverse conditions during pregnancy and complications of delivery for both mother and infant. From 1990 to 2005, the percentage of women overall who gained >40 pounds increased from 15% to 20%; the percentage who gained >40 pounds also increased among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women. Non-Hispanic white women were more likely than non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women to gain >40 pounds during pregnancy in 1990, 2000, and 2005.

SOURCES: National Vital Statistics System. Annual natality files. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.htm.

Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, et al. Births: final data for 2005. Natl Vital Stat Rep 2007;56(6). Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_06.pdf.

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Date last reviewed: 2/6/2008

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