--- title: "Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant? | Sutter Health" description: "What are the risks of having a baby when you're overweight? I need to lose weight, but I'm worried I'll never have a baby if I hold off until I've lost weight." url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403" --- 1. Home / 2. Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant? # Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant? * * * Medically reviewed by - Anjali Tate, M.D., FACOG ## Question What are the risks of having a baby when you're overweight? I need to lose weight, but I'm worried I'll never have a baby if I hold off until I've lost weight. ## Answer Ideally, a woman will want to start her pregnancy at a healthy weight for her height, to minimize complications during her pregnancy. Several studies have been done to understand the effect that being overweight or obese can have on a pregnancy. Overweight and obese women have been found to be at an increased risk of several pregnancy complications, such as diabetes with pregnancy (gestational diabetes mellitus), high blood pressure (hypertension), toxemia of pregnancy or preeclampsia. Overweight women can also be at a greater risk of requiring a cesarean section, with an increased risk of infection or developing a blood clot. In addition, a baby born to a woman who is overweight or obese can be at increased risk of premature delivery or a difficult delivery, or to develop childhood obesity. The American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) has changed the guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy and has even stated that maternal weight loss - if there is normal growth of the baby - has not been seen to have a negative effect on the pregnancy, and may in fact reduce some of the risk factors. Below you will find a table with the recommended weight gain for a BMI range: | BMI | Weight Status | Weight Gain | | --- | --- | --- | | Below 18.5 | Underweight | 28-40 lbs | | 18.5-24.9 | Normal | 25-30 lbs | | 25-29.9 | Overweight | 15-25 lbs | | 30 and higher | Obese | 11-20 lbs | | 40 and higher | Extreme obesity | | ## Explore related topics Weight managementPregnancy ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Are Birth Plans Necessary? Are birth plans necessary? - Health Q&A ### Avoiding a C-Section Birth Are there ways that I can help avoid a C-section delivery? - Health Q&A ### Bonding with Baby After C-Section After a C-section birth, how long will I have to wait before I can bond with my child (breastfeeding, skin-on-skin contact, holding my baby)? - Health Q&A ### Calcium for Lactose-Intolerant Pregnant Women I don't like and can't tolerate milk and dairy products. How can I add calcium to my diet during pregnancy? - Health Q&A ### Fertility Problems: Should I Be Tested? I've been trying to conceive for three months now and no luck. Is something wrong with me? View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant?"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403","name":"Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant?","description":"Ideally, a woman will want to start her pregnancy at a healthy weight for her height, to minimize complications during her pregnancy.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#question","name":"Should I Lose Weight Before I Get Pregnant?","text":"What are the risks of having a baby when you're overweight? I need to lose weight, but I'm worried I'll never have a baby if I hold off until I've lost weight.","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#answer","text":"Ideally, a woman will want to start her pregnancy at a healthy weight for her height, to minimize complications during her pregnancy. Several studies have been done to understand the effect that being overweight or obese can have on a pregnancy. Overweight and obese women have been found to be at an increased risk of several pregnancy complications, such as diabetes with pregnancy (gestational diabetes mellitus), high blood pressure (hypertension), toxemia of pregnancy or preeclampsia. Overweight women can also be at a greater risk of requiring a cesarean section, with an increased risk of infection or developing a blood clot. In addition, a baby born to a woman who is overweight or obese can be at increased risk of premature delivery or a difficult delivery, or to develop childhood obesity. The American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) has changed the guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy and has even stated that maternal weight loss - if there is normal growth of the baby - has not been seen to have a negative effect on the pregnancy, and may in fact reduce some of the risk factors. Below you will find a table with the recommended weight gain for a BMI range: BMI Weight Status Weight Gain Below 18.5 Underweight 28-40 lbs 18.5-24.9 Normal 25-30 lbs 25-29.9 Overweight 15-25 lbs 30 and higher Obese 11-20 lbs 40 and higher Extreme obesity","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403","author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#expert"}}},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"reviewedBy":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#expert"}} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/should-i-lose-weight-before-i-get-pregnant-1051061403#expert","name":"Anjali Tate","honorificSuffix":["M.D.","FACOG"]} ```