Association of vomiting in pregnancy with body mass index and quality of life

Introduction: It is believed that between 50% to 80% of pregnant women, suffer from nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy decrease the ability of functioning, where the degree of this limitation is associated with severity of the symptoms. The aim is to assess the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the tendency of pregnant women to vomit and the effect of the severity of vomiting on the quality of life. Methods: In this analytic study, 140 pregnant women during their first 12 weeks of gestation who came to hospital for prenatal care were recruited by random sampling. Demographic and gestational variables as well as body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Women were requested to report the number of vomiting episodes, the intensity of vomiting and the volume within the last 12 hours. Patients were allocated to mild group (3-6 grades), moderate and severe (grades over 7). We used the health related quality of life for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Data were analyzed using t & chi-square test. Results: The BMI was significantly lower in the moderate and severe groups (21.91±2.76 versus 23.77±3.32, respectively, P<0.05). Patients in the moderate and severe groups reported a lower quality of life as compared to the mild group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Patients with lower BMI in pregnancy showed higher frequency vomiting and the severity of vomiting was associated with lower quality of life.