Читать книгу Need to Know Fertility, Conception and Pregnancy - Harriet Sharkey - Страница 88

It is not just the quantity of fat you have in your body that matters, but also where it is in your body. Women who are ‘pear-shaped’, with fat principally on their buttocks and thighs, are at less risk of health problems than those who are ‘apple-shaped’, carrying fat on their abdomen. Fat in the abdomen influences the metabolism of sugar and fats in your body, with resulting higher levels of sugar and fats in your bloodstream, much more than does fat on your hips. The problems that can be associated with these changes in your metabolism include a risk of pre-eclampsia when you are pregnant and also heart disease in later life. In the last 10 or 15 years it has become clear that waist circumference is a risk factor for heart disease. Indeed, measuring waist circumference has been advocated as a health-screening test.

• Measure around your waist without any clothes on and do not pull the tape tight; let it lightly rest on the skin.

• Compare the resulting measurement to the table shown opposite.

It has been calculated that a waist circumference of 80 cm (31½in) or more in early pregnancy almost doubles the risk of high blood pressure and almost triples the risk of pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a high blood pressure problem that affects two to three per cent of pregnancies. It causes damage to the blood vessels and can affect not only the mother, but also the baby through damage to the placenta and there are some similarities to the underlying disturbance in blood vessels seen in heart disease.

Other studies suggest that women who have had pre-eclampsia and low-birth weight babies (less than 2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz)) are more likely to develop heart disease in later life than women who do not develop this complication. If these associations are confirmed, then women who experience these pregnancy complications could benefit from screening after pregnancy for risk factors for heart disease and should seek preventive treatment, including lifestyle modifications, such as better diet and increased exercise. Indeed, there is some evidence to suggest that exercise during early pregnancy or before pregnancy can also reduce the likelihood of pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia. So getting your waistline into shape before pregnancy, with a good diet and regular exercise, might not only be good for your figure but also for the health of you and your baby.