Pregnancy Risk Factors as Predictors of Offspring Cerebrovascular Disease: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966.

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Independent and concomitant associations of gestational diabetes and maternal obesity to perinatal outcome: A register-based study.

AIMS: Gestational diabetes (GDM) is often accompanied by maternal overweight. Our aim was to evaluate the separate and concomitant effects of GDM and maternal overweight/obesity on perinatal outcomes. METHODS: We used the Finnish Medical Birth Register to identify all 24,577 women with a singleton pregnancy who delivered in 2009 in Finland and underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Women were divided into groups according to the result of OGTT (GDM/no GDM) and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI): normal weight (≤24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30.0 kg/m2). Primary outcomes included macrosomia, caesarean delivery, and treatment at neonatal ward. Normal weight women without GDM constituted the reference group. RESULTS: Compared to reference group, overweight or obese women without GDM had an increased risk of macrosomia [odds ratio adjusted for age, parity, smoking and socio-economic status (aOR)1.18 (95% CI 1.09-1.28) and 1.50 (95% CI 1.19-1.88)], and caesarean delivery [aORs 1.17 (95% CI 1.07-1.28) and 1.52 (95% CI 1.37-1.69)], respectively. In normal weight GDM women the risk of macrosomia [aOR 1.17 (95% CI 0.85-1.62)] and caesarean delivery [aOR 1.10 (95% CI 0.96-1.27)] was not significantly increased as compared to normal weight women without GDM. GDM increased the risk of treatment at neonatal ward in all BMI categories and maternal obesity without GDM was also a risk factor for treatment at neonatal ward. Interaction p values between BMI and GDM on these outcomes were <0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal overweight and obesity without GDM increased the risk of macrosomia and caesarean delivery when compared to the reference group. These risks were amplified when overweight/obesity was accompanied by GDM. Obesity without GDM was a risk factor for treatment at neonatal ward; GDM increased this risk in all BMI categories. Our results suggest that especially maternal obesity should be considered as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes and GDM further amplifies this risk.

Interobserver agreement in the assessment of intrapartum automated fetal electrocardiography in singleton pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: To study interobserver agreement in the assessment of intrapartum automated fetal electrocardiogram ST interval analysis (STAN). DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Labor ward in tertiary level university hospital. Sample. Two hundred (140 reassuring and 60 non-reassuring) STAN recordings on non-selected women with singleton, vertex, term pregnancies were selected from our archive. Samples of 60-min were analysed from the end of each recording, excluding the last 30 min before delivery. METHODS: Three consultants, who had undergone STAN training and had clinical experience in using STAN, reviewed the recordings using cardiotocography (CTG) and ST information with no clinical data. The reviewers were asked to follow STAN guidelines and 1 to classify the CTG as normal, intermediary, abnormal, or preterminal, and 2 to make a clinical decision on labor management. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Interobserver agreement evaluated by weighted kappa (kappa(w)) values and the proportion of agreement. RESULTS: In CTG classification, the interobserver agreement between three observers was moderate (kappa(w), 0.47-0.48). The proportion of agreement was 56-59%. In clinical decision-making, kappa(w) values varied from 0.47 to 0.60, and the proportion of agreement was 80-86%. CONCLUSIONS: In non-selected term pregnancies, the interobserver agreement among experienced obstetricians in the classification of CTG and clinical decision-making according to STAN guidelines is moderate at best.

Polycystic ovary syndrome and risk factors for gestational diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To study the roles of self-reported symptoms and/or prior diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and other potential risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to clarify whether the screening of GDM in early pregnancy is beneficial for all women with PCOS. DESIGN: The FinnGeDi multicentre case-control study including 1146 women with singleton pregnancies diagnosed with GDM and 1066 non-diabetic pregnant women. There were 174 women with PCOS (symptoms and/or diagnosis self-reported by a questionnaire) and 1767 women without PCOS (data missing for 271). METHODS: The study population (N = 1941) was divided into four subgroups: GDM + PCOS (N = 105), GDM + non-PCOS (N = 909), non-GDM + PCOS (N = 69), and controls (N = 858). The participants' characteristics and their parents' medical histories were compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of PCOS was 10.4% among GDM women and 7.4% among non-diabetics (odds ratios (OR) 1.44, 95% CI: 1.05-1.97), but PCOS was not an independent risk for GDM after adjustments for participants' age and pre-pregnancy BMI (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 0.74-1.54). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the most significant parameters associated with GDM were overweight, obesity, age ≥35 years, participant's mother's history of GDM, either parent's history of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and participant's own preterm birth. CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of GDM in women with PCOS was related to obesity and increased maternal age rather than to PCOS itself, suggesting that routine early screening of GDM in PCOS women without other risk factors should be reconsidered. Instead, family history of GDM/T2D and own preterm birth were independent risk factors for GDM.

Long-Term Effects of Oral Antidiabetic Drugs During Pregnancy on Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Follow-up Studies of RCTs.

INTRODUCTION: Antidiabetic drugs (OADs) are increasingly prescribed to treat hyperglycaemia during pregnancy in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), even though long-term effects on offspring are unknown. This systematic review summarises the evidence of follow-up studies of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on long-term effects of prenatal exposure to OADs on offspring. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases were searched from inception to April 2018 for the concepts antidiabetic agents and prenatal exposure (or pregnancy and offspring/child) in combination with an RCT search filter. RCTs evaluating post-neonatal health effects in offspring and comparing maternal treatment with an OAD with no treatment, placebo, an alternative OAD or insulin during pregnancy were eligible for inclusion. Two independent researchers selected, extracted and assessed the data. Meta-analyses were performed using a random effects model and the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool was used for quality assessment. RESULTS: Ten studies were included, with a maximal follow-up duration of 9 years, comprising 778 children of mothers with GDM or PCOS who were randomised to either metformin or insulin/placebo during pregnancy. Meta-analysis showed that children prenatally exposed to metformin were heavier compared to controls (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.26 [95% CI 0.11-0.41]), but not taller (SMD 0.10 [95% CI -0.14-0.33]). Additionally, offspring body mass index (BMI) z scores did not differ according to metformin exposure (mean difference 0.30 [95% CI -0.01-0.61]). Individual small studies reported that prenatal exposure to metformin was associated with greater mid-upper arm, head and waist circumferences, biceps skinfolds, waist-to-height ratio, more arm fat, higher fasting glucose, ferritin and lower LDL cholesterol in offspring. CONCLUSION: Prenatal exposure to metformin is associated with increased offspring weight, but not with height or BMI. Larger follow-up studies are needed to confirm and look into the implications of these findings. Plain language summary available for this article.