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Doctors are encouraged to monitor the weight of pregnant women more closely. New guidelines on pregnancy recommend that a discussion on weight be included in every prenatal appointment.
The updated clinical guidelines for pregnancy care advocate several key changes, including giving pregnant women the opportunity to be weighed at each prenatal visit.
Mothers should be encouraged to monitor their weight gain and each appointment should include a discussion of weight change, diet and exercise.
About 20% of women who gave birth in Australia in 2016 were obese and 26% were overweight.
Overweight or obese women are at greater risk of having a premature baby.
The updated guidelines diverge from routine testing of vitamin D levels in pregnant women, despite a marked interest in the subject over the past decade.
The authors of a summary of guidelines, published today by the Medical Journal of Australia, found that routine vitamin D testing was not supported by evidence and that the benefits and benefits the disadvantages of the supplements were not clear.
Lead author Caroline Homer said that vitamin D testing is expensive and that supplements add extra costs to pregnant women.
"Although we know that there is a vitamin D deficiency, we have no solid evidence that its treatment significantly affects the outcome of pregnancy and the outcome of the baby, so it is not an effective screening tool, "said Professor Homer.
"We recommend that women with particular risk factors screen, especially those women who are covered and who do not get a lot of sun, and women with darker skin."
It has also been recommended that women be screened for hepatitis C during their first antenatal visit.
Women who have been diagnosed with hepatitis C early in their pregnancy may avoid invasive procedures that increase the risk of transmission of the virus from mother to child.
About 20% of people with chronic hepatitis C are still undiagnosed, but after major advances in treatment, the virus can now be cured.
Treatment of hepatitis C during pregnancy is not recommended, but women infected with the virus may begin treatment after delivery. This would reduce the risk of liver disease and eliminate the risk of perinatal infection in subsequent pregnancies.
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