Diabetes During Pregnancy — A Window to Long-Term Health

Women with gestational diabetes are more likely to have subsequent cardiovascular disease; healthy lifestyle habits in midlife may mitigate this risk.

Many conditions first diagnosed during pregnancy (whether due to the unmasking of occult disease or to more-frequent interactions with clinicians) are associated with longer-term health risks; thus, pregnancy is often viewed as a window into future health. Investigators for the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II) examined the association between gestational diabetes (GDM) and incident cardiovascular disease years later.

Among some 90,000 parous NHS II participants, 6% reported having GDM in at least one pregnancy. During a median 26 years' follow-up, approximately one cardiovascular (CV) event occurred for every 1000 person-years in the entire cohort. Compared with women who did not have GDM, those with histories of the disorder had 43% greater…

Reviewing Author

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Diabetes During Pregnancy — A Window to Long-Term Health

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Reviewing Author