For the first time in more than twenty years the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released new guidelines related to weight gain and pregnancy. Reasons cited for the new guidelines include significant progress with respect to research on weight gain and pregnancy, increased diversity of the US population, and an increased number of obese women in the country.

New Recommendations for total weight gain include the gaining of a total of 28 to 40 pounds for women who are underweight a body mass index (BMI, a measure of body fat based on weight and height) less than 18.5, a total gain of 25 to 35 pounds for women of normal weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9), a total gain of 15 to 25 pounds for overweight women (BMI 25.0 to 29.9), and a total weight gain of 11 to 20 pounds for obese women (BMI at or above 30).

The IOM weight gain recommendations are the same for taller and shorter women and for women of differing ethnic groupings and for teenagers. According to the guidelines, women who are pregnant with twins who have a normal BMI should aim to gain 37-54 pounds; overweight women, 31-50 pounds; and obese women, 25-42 pounds.

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