Early diagnosis and treatment of gestational diabetes (GDM) may reduce adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, especially in high-risk women. However, there is a lack of data for other outcomes.
We compared cardiometabolic and mental health outcomes in women with early (eGDM) and classical (cGDM) GDM.
This prospective cohort included 1185 All women with cGDM and 76 women with eGDM. The eGDM group had GDM risk factors (BMI >30 kg/m2, family history of diabetes, history of GDM, ethnicity), were tested at <20 weeks gestational age, and diagnosed using American Diabetes Association prediabetes criteria. All women underwent lifestyle adaptations. Obstetric, neonatal, mental, and cardiometabolic outcomes were assessed during pregnancy and postpartum.
The eGDM group had lower gestational weight gain than cGDM (10.7 ± 6.2 vs 12.6 ± 6.4; P = 0.03) but needed more medical treatment (66% vs 42%; P < 0.001). They had similar rates of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, except for increased large-for-gestational-age infants (25% vs 15%; P = 0.02). Mental health during pregnancy and postpartum did not differ between groups. eGDM had more atherogenic postpartum lipid profile than cGDM (P ≤ 0.001). In eGDM, the postpartum prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) was 1.8-fold, prediabetes was 3.1-fold, and diabetes was 7.4-fold higher than cGDM (waist circumference-based MetS: 62% vs 34%/BMI-based MetS: 46% vs 24%; prediabetes: 47.5% vs 15.3%; diabetes: 11.9% vs 1.6%, all P < 0.001). These differences remained unchanged after adjusting for GDM risk factors.
Compared with cGDM, eGDM was not associated with differences in mental health, but with increased adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, independent of GDM risk factors and gestational weight gain. This hints to a preexisting risk profile in eGDM.