RT journal article
T1 First Trimester Evaluation of Maternal Visceral Fat and Its Relationship with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
A1 Brenes Martín, Francisco
A1 Melero Jiménez,  Victoria
A1 López Guerrero, Miguel Ángel
A1 Calero Ruiz, María Mercedes
A1 Vázquez Fonseca, Luis
A1 Abalos Martínez, Jessica
A1 Quintero Prado, Rocío
A1 Torrejón Cardoso, Rafael
A1 Visiedo García, Francisco Manuel
A1 Bugatto González, Fernando
A2 Materno-Infantil y Radiología
K1 adiposity
K1 adverse pregnancy outcomes
K1 maternal obesity
K1 pregnancy
K1 subcutaneous fat
K1 visceral fat
AB Obese women are more likely to experience pregnancy complications. The distribution of fat, and more particularly the rise in visceral fat, is well established to be more closely linked to the onset of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome than obesity itself. We aim to examine the relationship between maternal visceral fat assessment in the first trimester and the appearance of adverse pregnancy outcomes. A prospective cohort study including 416 pregnant women was conducted. During the first trimester scan (11–13 + 6 weeks), all individuals had their visceral fat and subcutaneous thicknesses measured by ultrasonography. Blood samples were obtained, and maternal demographics and clinical information were documented. After delivery, the obstetric outcomes were evaluated. We contrasted two groups: one with healthy pregnancies and the other with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO), defined as the development of at least one of the following complications: gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, abnormal fetal growth, preterm delivery or preterm premature rupture of membranes. Median maternal age was 33 and 34 years old for the uncomplicated and adverse pregnancy outcomes groups, respectively. We found that women with adverse pregnancy outcomes had higher VFT (median 30 vs. 26.5 mm, p = 0.001) and SFT (median 18.9 vs. 17.1 mm, p = 0.03). However, the visceral/subcutaneous fat ratio was not statistically different between groups. Finally, we performed a subanalysis for metabolic and placental vascular dysfunction complications. After performing a multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for maternal age, smoking, and mean arterial pressure, both the VFT (aOR 1.03, p < 0.001) and the ratio of visceral/subcutaneous fat (aOR 1.37, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes; however, the associations of VFT and the VFT-to-SFT ratio were higher for the occurrence of gestational diabetes (aOR 1.07, p < 0.001; aOR 2.09, p = 0.001; respectively) and showed no relationships with placental complications. When conducting a first-trimester ultrasound assessment, sonographers may measure VFT without additional time or cost involved. Identification of pregnant women with increased VFT (>37 mm) may benefit from a close follow-up, especially for the development of gestational diabetes, independent of BMI.
PB MDPI
SN 2079-7737
YR 2023
FD 2023-01-17
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31451
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31451
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026