[fgummett]

Gestational diabetes linked to increased risk of Type 2 diabetes

Women who develop diabetes during their pregnancy are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the nine years after they give birth, suggests new research.

Researchers at the University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences studied 659,164 Ontario women who had no pre-existing diabetes.

Of these, 21,823 developed gestational diabetes. They tracked them for nine years and found that these women were 20 per cent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in that time period than those who did not have the pregnancy condition.

The study also found that gestational diabetes is linked to older mothers, those women who live in low-income neighbourhoods and in urban areas.

"These women may benefit from both preventative interventions and regular screening," say the researchers who add that physicians and policy makers should advise and screen these women in light of these findings.

The study did not factor in the effects of ethnicity, obesity and level of fasting glucose in pregnancy on the development of Type 2 diabetes.

While the reason for the elevated risk is unknown, the researchers note that "during pregnancy, women with gestational diabetes display metabolic abnormalities similar to those of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, such as insulin resistance."

The study was conducted from April 1, 1995, to March 31, 2002. It is published in the July 29 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Also here: CTV.ca | Pregnancy diabetes increases risk of Type 2

I'm actually not sure why this is news... I thought it has been understood for a least a couple of decades that Gestational D is a risk factor for Type 2 D..?

[enigmalady777]

I had Gestional Diabetes when I was pregnant with my second child. My doctor at that time told me that there was a good chance that I would develop full blown type 2 diabetes when I got older.

Sure enough, within 4 years of giving birth, I was diagnosed as a type 2.

It seems the correlation of GD and Type 2 within 9 years of the pregnancy was true in my case.

I've been a type 2 for nearly 15 years now.

[vickie53]

That is very interesting, makes me wonder if I haven't had it for a long time. Back in the late 70's they just kinda blew it off when you had GD.

[HelenM]

What the research was seeking to do was to clarify and quantify the relationship ie provide the evidence but I do agree that I thought it was already accepted fact.

Background: It is generally appreciated that gestational diabetes is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, the precise relation between these 2 conditions remains unknown. We sought to determine the incidence of diabetes mellitus after diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Interpretation: In this large population-based study, the rate of development of diabetes after gestational diabetes increased over time and was almost 20% by 9 years. This estimate should be used by clinicians to assist in their counselling of pregnant women and by policy-makers to target these women for screening and prevention

sorry link doesn't show. Paper available on the CMAJ website, just put gestational in search.

[genie86333]

Strange...I was told the same thing 14 years ago when I was pregnant with my older daughter...wonder why it's making the news all of a sudden.

[RobinP]

I was never told I had GD but my first son was almost 11 lbs at birth and my other 2 were close to 9 lbs. I'm wondering now if I did have it and just wasn't diagnosed. This was in the years between 84'-92'. My DE says they didn't keep track good back then and thinks I did have it.