Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator

Check your pre-pregnancy BMI against Institute of Medicine ranges for weight gain and weekly pace in the second and third trimesters, singleton or twin.

BMI and the range lookup run entirely in your browser. Your weight and height never leave your device.

Recommended total gain (IOM range)
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Details

Pre-pregnancy BMI
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2nd/3rd-trimester pace
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Average weekly gain after week 13
1st-trimester total
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Combined gain up to week 13

Screening estimate based on population ranges — not medical advice. Your provider owns the target.

How It Works

The calculator classifies your pre-pregnancy BMI (weight ÷ height², computed in metric units) and looks up the Institute of Medicine (2009) pregnancy weight-gain ranges that correspond to that category. It is a screening aid: the decision about your target stays with your clinician.

Pre-pregnancy BMI categories
Underweight is BMI below 18.5, normal 18.5–24.9, overweight 25–29.9 and obese 30 or above — the standard World Health Organization cut-offs. The BMI that matters here is the one from before conception, so use your pre-pregnancy weight, not today's.
Totals first, pace second
The headline range is the recommendation for the whole pregnancy, but most of it accrues after week 13: the first trimester calls for only about 0.2–2.7 kg total depending on category, and the weekly figures shown apply to the second and third trimesters. Getting the pace roughly right is more useful than chasing the total at any single visit.
Why the ranges differ by category and by singleton vs twin
They come from outcome studies comparing recommended-gain bands against maternal and infant complications for each starting-BMI group. Twin pregnancies need a different total (and, for most categories, simply need clinician management — the IOM only published a weekly pace for normal-weight twins, and no recommendation at all for underweight twins, which is what the page tells you rather than inventing one).

Frequently Asked Questions

My provider set a different target — which one wins?

Theirs, without question. The Institute of Medicine ranges shown here are population-level starting points; your clinician sees your height, history, labs and pregnancy in front of them and may set a genuinely different goal for you. Use this page to understand the general shape of recommended gain, and bring the discussion — not the number — to your appointments.

Do I really need to eat for two?

Not in the literal sense. Energy needs rise only modestly: roughly no extra calories in the first trimester, then about +340 kcal per day in the second and +450 in the third — a snack, not a double portion. The quality of what you eat matters far more than the quantity, and micronutrient needs (iron, folate, calcium) climb well before calorie needs do.

Why does the recommended range depend on starting BMI?

The evidence behind the ranges compares outcomes across groups: people who start at a higher BMI do best with a narrower gain (5–9 kg for obesity), because excess gain adds gestational-diabetes and delivery complications on top of an already-elevated baseline, while lower-BMI starts need more gain to support fetal growth. The range is a balance struck at the population level, not a moral grade.

What if I gain more or less than the range?

One weigh-in outside the band is not a verdict. Rate of gain over the second half of pregnancy predicts outcomes better than any single number, and short-term wobbles (fluid, measurement timing) are normal. Mention it at your next prenatal visit rather than changing your diet on your own — and treat twin or higher-order pregnancies as clinician-managed territory.

Is anything uploaded to a server?

No. BMI and the range lookup are plain arithmetic running entirely in your browser. Your weight, height and results are never transmitted, stored or logged — they exist only on your device while the page is open.