A study finds more than 40 percent of women who are pregnant are gaining more weight than they need.
"Being able to maintain the gestational weight gain during pregnancy is associated more with exercise activity than with a dietary intervention," said Dr. Karen Cooper, who did not take part in the study but specializes in pregnancy weight management at Cleveland Clinic.
Recommended Videos
Researchers studied 455 healthy pregnant women. They compared their weight-gain to the guidelines laid out by the Institute of Medicine.
The Institute recommends women in the normal BMI category gain 25-35 pounds during pregnancy; overweight women, 15-25 pounds; and obese women, 11-20 pounds.
Results from the study show 14 percent of the women in the study did not gain enough weight and 44 percent gained too much. Researchers say many of the women who gained too much weight did so because their physical activity levels declined or they quit smoking when they found out they were pregnant.
They believe an increase in physical activity would bring more women into the
advised weight category. Cooper agrees, but says to talk to your doctor first.
"It's really important for you to have that discussion with your provider about what types of activities you can engage in, when you can start, and how much you can do," she added.
Read more on this study in the journal Midwifery.