VEGFA and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: 2012). In pregnant sheep, diet‐induced maternal obesity is associated with decreased fetal placental arterial VEGF mRNA and protein expressions from mid‐gestation through term. This decline in angiogenic factor may function as a protective mechanism to reduce placental vascular development and thus maternal nutrient delivery to the fetus (Ma et al. 2010). In pregnant swine genetically predisposed to obesity, the number of conceptuses was found to be diminished and appeared to be related to lower placental expression of VEGF (Gonzalez‐Bulnes et al. 2012).