Maternal Glucose during Pregnancy and after Delivery in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Overweight Status of Their Children

OBJECTIVE To examine the association of maternal glycemia during pregnancy and after delivery with anthropometry in the offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS A total of 1,263 GDM mothers and their children finished the health survey at 1-5 years after delivery. RESULTS Offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy had higher prevalence of overweight, higher mean weight for height Z scores, and higher mean BMI for age Z scores at 1-5 years old than the offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) during pregnancy. Offspring of GDM mothers who developed diabetes 1-5 years after delivery had higher mean values of Z scores for weight for height and BMI for age at 1-5 years old than the offspring of GDM mothers who had normal glucose or prediabetes after delivery. CONCLUSIONS Offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy or after delivery had an increased risk of childhood overweight or weight gain at 1-5 years old compared with children of GDM mothers with IGT during pregnancy or with normal glucose or prediabetes after delivery.