Gestational weight gain and its association with maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with normal pre-pregnancy body mass index from a Middle Eastern country.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) is one of the leading health problems during pregnancy. Little is known about the association of GWG with the pregnancy outcomes among Middle Eastern pregnant women. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between GWG and maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Oman among 763 healthy women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI between August 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were retrieved from participants' medical records using a standardized form. The analytical tools included descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics showed 22.6 % and 21.4 % of the study participants gained weight above or below the guidelines, respectively. The findings from the chi-square test showed a significant association between total GWG and the incidence of emergency caesarean section (p < .01), gestational diabetes mellitus (p < .01), and gestational hypertension (p < .01), macrosomia (p < .01), small for gestational age (p < .01), large for gestational age (p < .01), low birth weight (p < .01), intrauterine growth retardation (p < .01), and preterm birth (p < .01). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our study found that inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) contributes to several adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. We recommend that Ministries of Health in Middle East and North Africa area includes GWG as a risk factor for pregnancy-related adverse outcomes. Midwives should closely monitor and manage GWG to ensure optimal pregnancy outcomes. In addition, midwives should encourage mothers to maintain GWG within the recommended range using various strategies such as continuous counselling and motivational health promotion interventions.

Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence and its Relationship With Sociodemographic and Obstetrical Variables Among Omani Women.

Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined by the International Continence Society as any complaint of involuntary urine leakage. This research study highlights the prevalence, types, and associated factors of UI among women in Oman. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data using purposive sampling technique from 400 women between 20 and 60 years; who were attending outpatient department of a referral hospital in Oman. Women were assessed using the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis to determine the type of UI. The severity and the impact of UI in women were assessed using the female urinary tract symptoms module (ICIQ-UI-SF). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence and type of UI, and the Chi-square test was used to find the association between UI and sociodemographic and obstetrical variables. Results: In our study, 28.25% of the women belonged to the age of 50-59 years. The point prevalence (per 1000) of UI among Omani women who were between 20 and 60 years was 44%. In the women who had UI, the majority were having stress UI (41.6%). In the women who had UI, the severity of UI, according to the ICIQ-UI-SF scoring, 15.2% of the women had slight, 50.3% had moderate, 33.1% had severe, and only 1.3% had very intense. Conclusion: Understanding the prevalence of UI in every community and associated factors is essential for the policy makers and healthcare providers to consider the early diagnosis, prevention, health promotion, and management of UI.