Pregnant women with which disease have only a 1 in 7 chance of giving birth to a healthy child of normal size?

• A. Gum disease
• B. Diabetes
• C. Hypertension
• D. Obesity

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how maternal infection and inflammation can influence pregnancy outcomes, especially fetal growth. Periodontal (gum) disease in the mother can cause bacteria and inflammatory mediators to circulate in the body. This systemic inflammation can affect the placenta and trigger processes that lead to preterm birth or restricted fetal growth, making a healthy, normally sized baby less likely. That connection helps explain why only a small fraction of pregnancies with gum disease result in a healthy, normal-sized infant.

Other conditions listed are associated with different patterns. Diabetes in pregnancy often raises the risk of larger babies (macrosomia) or birth defects with poorly controlled glucose, not primarily a reduced likelihood of a healthy normal-sized baby. Hypertension in pregnancy is linked to placental insufficiency and growth restriction, but the specific statistic about a very low chance of a healthy normal-sized baby is more characteristic of infection-driven inflammatory effects like those seen with gum disease. Obesity increases various pregnancy risks, including complications, but again doesn’t map as directly to this particular outcome pattern.

So, the best fit is gum disease, because its inflammatory impact during pregnancy is most closely associated with adverse growth outcomes that reduce the likelihood of a healthy, normally sized baby.