Annual body mass index gain and risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a subsequent pregnancy

Weight gain during interpregnancy period is related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). However, in interpregnancy care/counseling, the unpredictability of the timing of the next conception and the difficulties in preventing age-related body weight gain must be considered while setting weight management goals. Therefore, we suggest considering the annual change in the body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to clarify the association between annual BMI changes during the interpregnancy period and HDP risk in subsequent pregnancies. A multicenter retrospective study of data from 2009 to 2019 examined the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of HDP in subsequent pregnancies. The aORs in several annual BMI change categories were also calculated in the subgroups classified by HDP occurrence in the index pregnancy. This study included 1,746 pregnant women. A history of HDP (aOR, 16.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.62 − 29.22), and annual BMI gain (aOR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.76 − 3.01) were independent risk factors for HDP in subsequent pregnancies. An annual BMI increase of ≥ 1.0 kg/m(2)/year was related to HDP development in subsequent pregnancies for women without a history of HDP. This study provides data as a basis for interpregnancy care/counseling, but further research is necessary to validate our findings and confirm this relationship.