Risk of developing postpartum type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes who did not undergo postpartum glucose tolerance testing

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the presence of high-risk women developing type 2 diabetes mellitus among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who had not undergone a postpartum oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. The participants were Japanese women diagnosed with GDM and were managed at two perinatal medical centers. We compared the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes between women who had undergone a postpartum OGTT (examinees) and those who had not had it (nonexaminees). In addition, we divided the participants with a history of GDM into high- and low-risk groups and examined the presence of high-risk women developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results: Of the 117 participants, 77 (65.8%) underwent a postpartum OGTT and 40 (34.2%) did not. There were no significant differences in the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes between the two groups, except for the premature birth rate. We divided the 80 participants into two groups, including 30 nonexaminees and 50 examinees, and 34 high- and 46 low-risk women. Although there was no significant difference in the percentage of high-risk women who had undergone a postpartum OGTT, 10 (33.3%) of the 30 nonexaminees were assessed as high-risk. Conclusions: Our results indicate that 10 (12.5%) of 80 women with a history of GDM did not undergo a postpartum OGTT despite being in the high-risk group and improving the rate of postpartum OGTT may contribute to the prevention and early detection of type 2 diabetes.