Leading obstetrician warns one in six pregnant women are obese

One in six expectant mothers are obese, while one in 50 are morbidly obese, according to leading obstetrician.

Just under 2%, or 150 pregnant women at the Coombe Hospital last year were morbidly obese, with a body mass index of over 40.

Although the figures refer to the Dublin hospital, Professor Michael Turner of the UCD Centre for Human Reproduction said they reflect a nationwide trend of worrying obesity among the country’s pregnant women.