Impact of pre-pregnancy weight on the risk of premature rupture of membranes in Chinese women

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) among Chinese women. METHODS: This was a hospital-based retrospective cohort study of 75,760 Chinese women who had live singleton births between 2016 and 2020. In this study, we utilized logistic regression analysis to estimate the association between pre-pregnancy BMI and PROM based on gestational age. RESULTS: Prior to pregnancy, being overweight or obese was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), as evidenced by adjusted odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals of 1.336 (1.173–1.522) and 1.411 (1.064–1.872), respectively. Those with PPROM were divided into three groups according to gestational age: 22–27, 28–31, and 32–36 weeks. Women who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy had a higher likelihood of experiencing PROM between 22 and 27 weeks of gestation. This finding remained consistent even after controlling for potential confounding factors, such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, hydramnios, cervical abnormalities, and a history of preterm birth. CONCLUSION: Our research findings indicate that being overweight or obese before pregnancy is linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing PPROM. Therefore, achieving optimal weight before pregnancy is important to prevent PPROM and its associated complications.