Obesity is a global public health problem. This disorder is becoming more common in pregnant women and is associated with different risks before, during and after pregnancy. The obese pregnant has complications such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, miscarriage and delivery by caesarean section, preterm delivery, preeclampsia, metabolic syndrome and thromboembolism. Likewise the fetus of the obese mother has a higher risk of perinatal mortality, macrosomia and development of diseases in the short and long term as noncommunicable chronic diseases. This paper seeks to gather the implications of obesity in pregnant women on maternal and fetal health through a review of the scientific literature. We selected 24 articles taken from the databases PubMed, EbscoHost, Elsiever, Wiley, ScienceDirect and SpringerLink, published from 2002 to date. The most common complications described in the mother are gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, delivery by caesarean section and metabolic syndrome and fetal congenital malformations and intrauterine death. Obesity is a gestation modifiable risk factor, being a predictor of various complications that can occur both in the mother and the fetus, the scientific literature shows that more effective management for prevention is diet and exercise.