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Fetal gender may influence maternal glucose metabolism
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Maternal glucose during pregnancy may be affected by the sex of the fetus, according to recent study findings published in Diabetes Care.
Poorer beta-cell function, higher postprandial glycemia and an increased risk for gestational diabetes in the mother were all linked to male fetuses, according to the researchers.
Ravi Retnakaran, MD, MSc, FRCP, of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues evaluated data from 1,074 pregnant women (534 carrying a female fetus) participating in a prospective observational cohort to determine the effect of the sex of the fetus on maternal glucose metabolism.
Participants carrying a male fetus had a higher blood glucose response to the 50-g glucose challenge test compared with those carrying a female (P = .001). Higher glucose levels during the oral glucose tolerance test were found among participants carrying a male fetus at 30 minutes (P = .047), 1 hour (P = .016) and 2 hours (P = .055), resulting in a greater glucose area under the curve (P = .034).
Compared with participants carrying a female fetus, those carrying a male fetus has lower mean adjusted beta-cell function (P = .007), as well as higher mean adjusted blood glucose at 30 minutes (P = .025), 1 hour (P = .004) and 2 hours (P = .02) during the OGTT.
Greater odds of developing gestational diabetes also was found among participants carrying a male fetus (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.9). Similarly, a male fetus also increased the risk for gestational diabetes by 47% when the participants were older than 35 years and by 51% when they were nonwhite.
“In summary, pregnant women carrying a male fetus have poorer beta-cell function and greater postprandial glycemia than women with a female fetus,” the researchers wrote. “Accordingly, male fetus is independently associated with higher odds of [gestational diabetes] in the mother. It thus emerges that fetal sex is a previously unrecognized factor that is relevant to maternal glucose homeostasis in pregnancy.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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