Adverse birth outcomes tied to increase T2D risk high among certain postmenopausal women

For postmenopausal women with a history of gestational diabetes, delivering high birth weight infants or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy poses a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the future, according to a study.

The study used data from The Women’s Health Initiative and included a total of 49,717 women without a history of diabetes at baseline who had a least one pregnancy and responded to the questionnaire about adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Researchers looked at self-reported history of adverse pregnancy outcomes including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm birth, and delivering low (<2,500 g) or high birth weight (>4,500 g) infants. All participants underwent annual assessments for self-reported incident T2D treated with medication.

Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of T2D were high among participants with a history of gestational diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 2.26, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.94–2.63), those who delivered infants with high birth weight (OR, 1.30, 95 percent CI, 1.18–1.44), and those with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR, 1.18, 95 percent CI, 1.08–1.30). Other pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight showed no association with the risk of T2D.

Additionally, participants with a history of more than two adverse pregnancy outcomes also had greater odds of T2D (OR, 1.55, 95 percent CI, 1.28–1.88), as did those with a history of both gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (vs those without any adverse pregnancy outcomes (OR, 3.69, 95 percent, 2.38–5.70).

The findings suggest that women with two or more conditions had an augmented risk of T2D and should be prioritized for screening and prevention efforts for T2D.