OR22-07 Postpartum Follow-up of Women with Obesity and Infertility Recruited in a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Preconception Lifestyle Intervention

Abstract Disclosure: A. Thibodeau: None. C. Richer dit Laflèche: None. F. Jean-Denis: None. M. Pesant: None. B. Carranza Mamane: None. M. Brochu: None. J. Baillargeon: None. Introduction: Obesity is a global health crisis that can adversely affect fertility. Women of reproductive age who are living with obesity and experiencing infertility are often more motivated to adopt healthier behaviors in their desire to become pregnant. Therefore, a preconception lifestyle intervention aimed at managing obesity may be particularly beneficial for this population, including for their long-term health after delivery. Thus, this study aims to assess the long-term effects of such interventions in women who have given birth. Methods: A follow-up study was conducted 6 to 10 years post-randomization of a randomized controlled trial evaluating an intervention to support the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits in women living with obesity and infertility, from the preconception period throughout pregnancy. At follow-up, we looked at self-reported lifestyle habits, body composition, metabolic health and functional capacity of the participants who had been pregnant and given birth. Physical activity was also categorized as inactive or active/moderately active based on daily physical activity levels. For this exploratory study, differences between baseline and follow-up measures between groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test for dichotomous variables. Results: These preliminary analyses were carried out on 30 women (60% of expected total sample), which included 20 from the intervention group (IG) and 10 from the control group (CG). The results showed significant differences between the IG and CG for changes from baseline to follow-up in plasma triglyceride levels (median [med]=+0.01 vs. med=+0.27, P=0.027) and the average number of hours per week spent reading (med=+0.0 vs. med=+2.5, P=0.035). There was also a significant difference between IG and CG for changes in physical activity categories (increased: 20% vs. 30%; maintained: 80% vs 40%; decreased: 0% vs. 30%, P=0.014). Finally, IG, compared to CG, tended to reduce their daily fruit juice consumption from baseline to follow-up (med=-0.29 vs. med=-0.02, P=0.082) and to decrease their sedentary time at work (ratio sedentary hours spent working/total working hours) (med=-0.13 vs. med=+0.05, P=0.053). Conclusion: The present study focused only on pregnant individuals, with a small sample size. Despite these limitations, to our knowledge, this is the first study to follow up an intervention targeting lifestyle changes before conception 6 to 10 years later. Significant differences between groups were found 6 to 10 years post-intervention, including favorable changes in triglycerides and physical activity category for the intervention group. While results need to be confirmed in the full sample, these findings add to the growing body of literature supporting the preconception period as an opportune window for intervention to improve women’s long-term health. Presentation: Sunday, July 13, 2025