Risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in nulliparous women - Associations with early life body size and change in body mass index from childhood to adulthood

AIMS: We examined whether a woman's birthweight, childhood height, body mass index (BMI), and BMI changes from childhood to pregnancy were associated with risks of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHODS: We studied 13,031 women from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register born 1959-1996 with birthweight and measured anthropometric information at ages 7 and/or 13. The diagnosis of GDM (n = 255) was obtained from a national health register. Risk ratios (RR) were estimated using log-linear binomial regression.

RESULTS: Own birthweight and childhood height were inversely associated with GDM. Girls with overweight at age 7 had a higher risk of GDM than girls with normal-weight (RR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.47). Compared to women with normal-weight in childhood and adulthood, risks of GDM were higher in women who developed overweight from age 7 to pregnancy (RR: 4.62; 3.48, 6.14) or had overweight at both times (RR: 4.71; 3.24, 6.85). In women whose BMI normalized from age 7 to pregnancy the RR for GDM was 1.08 (0.47, 2.46).

CONCLUSIONS: Lower birthweight, shorter childhood height, and higher childhood BMI are associated with increased risks of GDM. Efforts to help girls maintain a normal BMI before pregnancy may be warranted to minimize risks of GDM.