Pregestational excess weight and adverse maternal outcomes: a systematic review of previous studies in Brazil

Introduction: obesity is increasing among women at reproductive age in Brazil. Excess body weight during pregnancy negatively impacts women's health. Objetives: to identify and analyze the publications that showed the effects of pregestational excess weight on pregnancy, delivery, and post-delivery in Brazilian women. Methods: this systematic review was performed including studies that involve Brazilian pregnant women with adverse outcomes caused by pregestational excess weight. Search, selection, and reporting were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The study was conducted by manually searching and screening the databases LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Periodicos CAPES. The selected articles were evaluated according to the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), and categorized as studies with high (A), moderate (B), low (C), or extremely low (D) evidence quality. Results: a total of 1,582 studies were found, of which 39 were included for final reading and evaluation. Among these, 12.8%, 69.2%, and 18.0% were classified as A, B, and C or D for evidence quality, respectively. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, caesarean section, excessive weight gain, and gestational diabetes mellitus were commonly associated with pregestational excess weight in Brazilian women. Conclusions: the negative effects of excess body weight during pregnancy reflect the need for effective public policies that can address the problem, focusing on interventions that promote the health of women at reproductive age.