MONDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Women who had gestational
diabetes in their first and second pregnancies are at greatly
increased risk for the condition in future pregnancies, a new study
finds.
Gestational diabetes can lead to early delivery, cesarean
section and type 2 diabetes in the mother, and may increase a
child's risk of developing diabetes and obesity later in life.
"Because of the silent nature of gestational diabetes, it is important to identify early those who are at risk and watch them closely during their prenatal care," lead author Dr. Darios Getahun, a research scientist/epidemiologist in the research and evaluation department at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said in a Kaiser news release.
In this study, researchers analyzed the medical history of more
than 65,000 women who delivered babies at a Kaiser Permanente
Southern California medical center between 1991 and 2008.
Compared to women who didn't have gestational diabetes in their
first and second pregnancies, those who had the condition in their
first but not second pregnancies were more than six times as likely
to develop it in their third pregnancy. Women who had gestational
diabetes in their first and second pregnancies were almost 26 times
more likely to have it during their third pregnancy, the team
report.
The risk of gestational diabetes recurrence was higher in
Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders than in whites. Recurrence
was also more common in women 30 and older and in those with a
longer period of time between any two of their successive
pregnancies.
The findings, published online in the
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, highlight the importance of educating and counseling pregnant women who developed gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, said the researchers.
"Clinicians should be aware and counsel potential pregnant women about their increased risk and that early detection and initiation of treatment is important, because unrecognized or untreated gestational diabetes is likely to lead to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes," Getahun said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development has more about
gestational diabetes.