are based on a woman's BMI (body mass index) before becoming pregnant (prepregnancy)
[2].
The body mass index (BMI) is a measure of someone's weight in relation to their height. The BMI is equal to a person's weight divided by their height
.
It is calculated
either as:
BMI =
(Weight
in pounds / Height in inches 2 ) x 703
OR
BMI = (Weight in kilograms /
Height in meters 2)
|
The greater a person's weight is for a given height the higher their BMI will be. The National
Institutes of Health (NIH) provides a BMI calculator at
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
and a table at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm.
The BMI is used to screen persons for weight categories that may lead to
health problems [1].
|
Normal BMI
(18.5 - 24.9) |
| Height (feet,inches) |
weight
(pounds) |
| 4' 10" |
91 - 119 |
| 4' 11" |
94- 124 |
| 5' 0" |
97-128 |
| 5' 1" |
100-132 |
| 5' 2" |
104-136 |
| 5' 3" |
107-141 |
| 5' 4" |
110-145 |
| 5' 5" |
114-150 |
| 5' 6" |
118-155 |
| 5' 7" |
121-159 |
| 5' 8" |
125-164 |
| 5' 9" |
128-169 |
| 5' 10" |
132-174 |
| 5' 11" |
136-179 |
| 6' 0" |
140-184 |
| 6' 1" |
144-189 |
| 6' 2" |
148-194 |
| 6' 3" |
152-200 |
| 6' 4" |
156-205 |
|
| Prepregnancy BMI |
Category |
Recommended Gestational Weight
Gain Singleton |
Recommended Gestational Weight
Gain
Twins |
|
= <18.5
|
Underweight |
12.5 - 18 kg
28 - 40 pounds |
|
|
= 18.5-24.9
|
Normal weight |
11.5 - 16 kg
25 - 35 pounds |
17 - 25 kg
37 - 54 pounds |
|
= 25-29.9
|
Overweight |
7 - 11.5 kg
15 - 25 pounds
|
14 - 23 kg
31 - 50 pounds |
|
30 -34.9 |
Obese- Class I |
5 - 9 kg
11 - 20 pounds |
11 - 19 kg
25 - 42 pounds |
|
35 - 39.9 |
Obese- Class II |
|
|
|
40 and above |
Obese- Class III |
|
|
SEE ALSO:
http://www.perinatology.com/calculators/BMI.htm
1 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for obesity in adults: recommendations and rationale.
Ann Intern Med. 2003 Dec 2;139(11):930-2.PMID:14644896
2.
Rasmussen KM ed et al. Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Reexamining the
Guidelines Institute of Medicine; National Research Council 2009. p
252, 254
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12584.html
