Post-pregnancy diabetes patients struggle to regulate blood sugar levels

Researchers have found that people who develop diabetes after pregnancy were significantly less likely to be able to control it if they had gestational diabetes, especially if they were Black or Hispanic. The study also discovered that the likelihood of developing diabetes within nine years after delivery was more than 11 times higher in those with gestational diabetes than in people whose pregnancies did not entail it. The study was published in Journal ‘Diabetes Care.’
The first 12 weeks to one year postpartum had the highest incidence of diabetes and the lowest likelihood of diabetic management, according to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers.
Among those who experienced diabetes after delivery, the researchers found that a history of gestational diabetes was associated with more difficulty controlling glucose levels. In particular, of those with postpartum-onset diabetes following gestational diabetes, Black and Hispanic people experienced a longer time to achieve control of their glucose levels than those without gestational diabetes.
The research team developed a novel population-based cohort of more than 330,000 postpartum women in New York City, using data from 2009 to 2017 to examine how gestational diabetes interacts with race and ethnicity to influence diabetes risk and control. The birth records included data about pregnancy-related comorbidities, including gestational diabetes and gestational hypertensive disorders, self-reported race and ethnicity, and sociodemographic characteristics, including age, nativity, education, and insurance type or status.
Through their analysis, the Mount Sinai researchers were able to confirm prior estimates of diabetes risk attributed to gestational diabetes and build on limited existing evidence of racial and ethnic differences in the influence of gestational diabetes. The data supports policies facilitating and expanding access to health care after delivery, such as extending postpartum coverage under Medicaid.
"This study shows that a history of gestational diabetes is a red flag for higher risk of diabetes but also poorer control down the line, with Black and Hispanic women most affected," said senior author Teresa Janevic, Ph.D., MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Population Health Science and Policy, and Global Health and Health Systems Design at Icahn Mount Sinai. "The good news is this red flag provides the opportunity for diabetes prevention if we focus more intently on mom's health in the first year postpartum.”