Effects of maternal BMI on early pregnancy endocrine–metabolic function and offspring development: Evidence from a retrospective cohort and animal model

Abnormal BMI affects hormonal profiles and glucose and lipid metabolism during early pregnancy. Although it does not significantly impact fetal survival rates, it markedly increases the risks of cesarean delivery, preterm birth, and abnormal neonatal birth weight. These alterations not only pose challenges for postpartum maternal and neonatal health management but may also exert adverse effects on the long-term health of the offspring. Maternal obesity may impair pregnancy outcomes by inhibiting insulin signaling, enhancing proinflammatory responses, inducing a hypoxic microenvironment in the decidual tissue, and suppressing angiogenesis, thereby disrupting maternal-fetal interface homeostasis.