Exploring the relationship between maternal circulating hormones and gestational weight gain in women without obesity: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Central homeostatic regulation of fat stores is attenuated during pregnancy, to allow for adequate fat deposition to support fetal development and lactation. What factors particular to pregnancy facilitate fat accumulation, and why gestational weight gain (GWG) is so variable, are not clear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between GWG and circulating hormones with known effects on appetite and growth. Methods: Women without obesity (body mass index, BMI <30 kg/m2), with a healthy singleton pregnancy, were recruited at the time of delivery by elective Caesarean section at a tertiary obstetric hospital. Women with preterm (16 kg; n=35) during p..