The effects of maternal Body Mass Index on placental morphology and foetal birth weight: a study from Dodoma Central Region,Tanzania

Abstract

Introduction: The placenta plays a pivotal role during pregnancy by being intimately connected to the mother and foetus.
Objective: To determine the effects of maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) on placental morphology and foetal birth weight.
Method: The placental samples were obtained with consent from 236 mothers with a singleton full term pregnancy and who had a live birth between January 2017 and June 2018. Statistics on maternal BMI, placental morphology and foetal birth weight were collected and analysed using SPSS version 20 for Window (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
Results: The mean maternal BMI was 24.25 ± 131.605 and was positively correlated with the foetal birth weight (r=0.66; p<0.001), number of cotyledons (r=0.71, p<0.001), placental weight (r=0.50; p <0.001) and placental thickness (r=0.42; p<0.001).
Conclusion: The study supports the hypothesis that maternal factors which are known to influence foetal growth, birth weight and neonatal body composition are also the determinants of the placental morphology. Therefore, all the parameters can be clinically used in the prediction of birth outcome

Keywords: placenta, morphology, birth weight, maternal BMI, Tanzania

South Sudan Medical Journal Vol 12 No 3 August 2019