What are the implications of epigenetics on pregnancy?
Epidemiological studies suggest that early life, especially prenatal, exposure to environmental factors can induce persistent metabolic and physiological changes in the fetus through the altered epigenetic profiles leading to different susceptibility to various chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular, diabetes …
What complications can obesity cause in pregnancy?
Obesity is associated with increased risk of almost all pregnancy complications: gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, delivery of large-for-GA infants, and higher incidence of congenital defects all occur more frequently than in women with a normal BMI.
Does obesity lead to birth defects?
Birth defects—Babies born to women who are obese have an increased risk of having birth defects, such as heart defects and neural tube defects (NTDs) Problems with diagnostic tests—Having too much body fat can make it difficult to see certain problems with the fetus’s anatomy on an ultrasound exam.
How can mothers pass on epigenetic changes?
A new study reveals that active epigenetic modifications are also passed from one generation to the next. Parents pass genes along to their offspring which equip them for their future life. In recent years, research has shown that the reality is much more complex and that parents endow much more than just genes.
How does diet affect epigenetics?
Numerous studies suggest that a number of nutritional compounds have epigenetic targets in cancer cells. Importantly, emerging evidence strongly suggests that consumption of dietary agents can alter normal epigenetic states as well as reverse abnormal gene activation or silencing.
Does obesity cause infertility in females?
Overweight women have a higher incidence of menstrual dysfunction and anovulation. Overweight and obese women are at a high risk for reproductive health. The risk of subfecundity and infertility, conception rates, miscarriage rates, and pregnancy complications are increased in these women.
What does obesity affecting pregnancy antepartum mean?
Likewise, in a 2015 review of 22 systematic reviews, pregnant women with obesity were at increased risk for GDM, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, mental ill health including anxiety and depression, postpartum depression, cesarean birth, and instrumental birth and were also at greater risk of having neonates …
What is epigenetic transmission and how it is related to obesity?
Obesity is associated with unfavorable changes in the epigenome — the many compounds that tell the genome what to do. Weight gain can lead to changes in gene expression that favor development of type 2 diabetes, whereas diet and exercise can lead to beneficial metabolic changes.
Can an obese woman have a natural birth?
There is no question that it is best to a healthy weight before becoming pregnant, to avoid potential problems including labor complications and birth defects. Women who are already overweight when they become pregnant can still have a normal, healthy pregnancy, but it may require more careful management and attention.