Treating stress may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes after recent gestational diabetes

ATLANTA — In patients who recently developed gestational diabetes, addressing stress and associated postpartum depressive symptoms early may reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, researchers said.

“Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been shown to increase the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms, or the ‘maternity blues,’ which can limit women’s ability to practice healthy behaviors,” Jennifer Dias, BA, a medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said in a press release.

In women with GDM, adherence to healthy behaviors is important in preventing type 2 diabetes, according to Dias and colleagues.

The researchers enrolled 181 women (mean age, 32.6 ± 5.3 years; 51.4% white) from the baseline cohort of the Balance after Baby Intervention study, which was a 2-year randomized clinical trial conducted between 2016 and 2019.

Jennifer Dias

“In order to better understand the effects of the lifestyle intervention on our desired results [in the Balance after Baby Intervention study] — weight loss and blood glucose levels — we felt it was important to also consider the psychosocial impacts, burden or experiences of having GDM and the many challenges associated with the early postpartum period,” Dias told Healio.

Prior to randomization, the researchers assessed postpartum depressive symptoms and stress via the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), respectively, at a 6-week postpartum visit. They also measured BMI at this visit. Patients self-reported prepregnancy weight, which was used to calculate prepregnancy BMI (mean, 29.8 ± 6 kg/m²).

At the postpartum visit, 19% of women had postpartum depressive symptoms and 53% had moderate to high perceived stress. Multivariate regression modeling revealed that only perceived stress (OR = 4.5; 95% CI, 2.6-7.7) was predictive of postpartum depressive symptoms.

“Addressing perceived stress in the early postpartum period and challenges related to [first pregnancy with GDM] may be important targets for development or adaptations of future lifestyle interventions to prevent [type 2 diabetes] in women with recent GDM,” according to the study.

Moving forward, Dias suggested researchers investigate possible interventions to prevent the development of postpartum depressive symptoms in women with GDM.

References:

• Addressing stress and postpartum symptoms early may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/955107. Published June 11, 2022. Accessed June 11, 2022.
• Dias J, et al. Predictors of postpartum depressive symptoms in women with recent gestational diabetes. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; June 11-14, 2022; Atlanta (hybrid meeting).