Secular trend for increasing birthweight in offspring of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes: is improved placentation the reason?

ABSTRACT: Despite enormous progress in managing blood glucose levels, pregnancy in women with type 1 diabetes still carries risks for the growing fetus. While, previously, fetal undergrowth was not uncommon in these women, with improved maternal glycaemic control we now see an increased prevalence of fetal overgrowth. Besides short-term implications, offspring of women with type 1 diabetes are more likely to become obese and to develop diabetes and features of the metabolic syndrome. Here, we argue that the increase in birthweight is paradoxically related to improved glycaemic control in the pre- and periconceptional periods. Good glycaemic control reduces the prevalence of microangiopathy and improves placentation in early pregnancy, which may lead to unimpeded fetal nutrition. Even mild maternal h

SUBMITTER: Desoye G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9607824 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature