Maternal Subcutaneous Fat Thickness by Ultrasonography and Its Effect on Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes

Objectives: This study was done to determine the mean maternal abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) by ultrasound during 18-24 weeks of gestation and to study its association with maternal outcomes (hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery) and the perinatal outcomes (birth weight, APGAR score, and intensive care admission rates).Materials and methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 158 patients in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, from January 2020 to June 2021.A detailed history of patients was obtained using general, systemic, and obstetric examinations and they were followed up with regular antenatal checkups.The abdominal SFT was measured by ultrasonography at 18-24 weeks and correlated with maternal and perinatal outcomes.Results: The mean value of SFT measured at 18-24 weeks was 16.4 mm.The correlation between SFT and the risk of gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, preterm birth, cesarean section, large for gestational age, NICU admissions, and low APGAR score was found to be statistically significant with p-value < 0.05.Conclusion: Subcutaneous fat thickness represents maternal central obesity, a more vital risk factor than general obesity in pregnancy.Hence, sonographic assessment of SFT is an excellent, noninvasive, and cost-effective method for safely predicting both maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes.