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IVF tied to increased gestational diabetes risk

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Pregnant women who use in vitro fertilization to conceive are 53% more likely to develop gestational diabetes when compared with women who conceive naturally, according to study data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting.

Panagiotis Anagnostis

“These findings highlight the importance of early detection of gestational diabetes in women achieving pregnancy after assisted reproductive technologies that could lead to intensification of lifestyle intervention, from the preceding to IVF period and the first trimester of pregnancy, especially in high-risk populations, in order to reduce the risk for gestational diabetes,” Panagiotis Anagnostis, MD, MSc, PhD, FRSPH, of the unit of reproductive endocrinology, department of obstetrics and gynecology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, told Endocrine Today.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Anagnostis and colleagues analyzed data from 17 matched and 21 unmatched case-control studies published between 1995 and 2017, comparing the risk for gestational diabetes in singleton pregnancies achieved by assisted reproductive technologies (IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection) vs. spontaneous conception (n = 1,893,599). Studies were excluded if pregnancies were achieved by ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination. Researchers used maternal age, parity and race to match assisted reproduction groups and spontaneous conception groups.

Across studies, 4,766 of 63,760 women who underwent assisted reproduction and 158,526 of 1,870,734 women who became pregnant spontaneously developed gestational diabetes.

 

Pregnant women who use in vitro fertilization to conceive are 53% more likely to develop gestational diabetes when compared with women who conceive naturally.

Source: Adobe Stock

Researchers found that singleton pregnancies achieved by assisted reproductive technologies were associated with a higher risk for gestational diabetes vs. spontaneous conceptions (RR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.39-1.69) Results were similar in sensitivity analyses excluding unmatched studies (RR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.17-1.72).

“This rigorous assessment of the best available evidence to date shows that singleton pregnancies achieved by IVF are linked with an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes compared with pregnancies conceived naturally,” Anagnostis said in a press release. “The exact mechanism is unclear, and whether this risk is due to the medical intervention or the underlying infertility status of the couples undergoing assisted reproduction, is not yet fully understood and requires further research.”

The researchers noted that the findings highlight the importance of early detection of gestational diabetes among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology to avoid pregnancy complications and implement early interventions. – by Regina Schaffer

Reference:

Anagnostis P, et al. Abstract 921. Presented at: European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting; Sept. 16-20, 2019; Barcelona, Spain.

Disclosure: Anagnostis reports no relevant financial disclosures.