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Gestational diabetes risk increases with winter conception
The risk for gestational diabetes may increase among women who conceive during the winter season, according to findings published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.
“The mechanisms that cause gestational diabetes are still not fully understood,” Petra Verburg, MD, of the Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said in a press release. “Previous studies have suggested that meteorological factors, physical activity, diet and vitamin D are risk factors for gestational diabetes, all of which are impacted by the winter season. Not only should our results be confirmed in other populations, future research should also investigate other factors that vary with season.”
Verburg and colleagues evaluated data from the South Australian Perinatal Statistics Collection on 60,306 women with live-born singletons from 2007 to 2011 to determine whether there is a seasonal variation in the incidence of gestational diabetes.
Overall, 6% of participants were diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and incidence increased from 4.9% in 2007 to 7.2% in 2011 (P < .001). Risk factors for gestational diabetes development included age older than 30 years, multiparity, increased BMI, Asian ethnicity, low and very low socioeconomic status, and a history of chronic hypertension.
Participants with estimated dates of conception in winter for births in June (6.74% incidence), July (6.55% incidence) and August (6.6% incidence) had the highest risk for gestational diabetes, whereas the lowest risk was found among those with estimated dates of conceptions in summer for births in January (5.17% incidence).
“The effect size of seasonality of [gestational diabetes] presented in this paper is statistically significant, but unlikely to have direct clinical implications,” the researchers wrote. “However, our data point to specific biological mechanism(s) that warrant further investigation that may provide potential targets for the prevention of [gestational diabetes]. In particular, exposure(s) early in pregnancy deserve attention. These may include season of conception and vitamin D.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.