IVF linked to greater risk of gestational diabetes, study suggests

[DCUK NewsBot]

Pregnancy achieved via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is associated with a greater risk of gestational diabetes, according to a research team in Greece. It is already known that these techniques are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy and birth complications. It is estimated that over half a million babies are born worldwide, each year, thanks to these techniques. It was previously unclear whether or not assisted reproduction impacts upon the mother’s risk of developing gestational diabetes and so this new analysis sought to fill the gap in knowledge. The meta-analysis found that women giving birth to singleton babies, who became pregnant via assisted reproduction techniques, including IVF and similar methods, had a 53% increased relative risk of developing gestational diabetes. More than two million pregnancies, from 38 studies, were analysed in total. Within this sample, 163,302 cases of gestational diabetes were identified. 4,766 out of 63,760 women who became pregnant using assistive techniques developed gestational diabetes, compared to 158,526 out of 1,870,734 who became pregnant via spontaneous conception. Further analysis of 17 studies matched subjects for age, height, weight, smoking status and ethnicity. With these corrections, the relative risk increase fell slightly to 42%. Dr Panagiotis Anagnostis, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said: "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. "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." He added: "Whilst gestational diabetes remains a rare outcome for assisted reproduction technologies, the complications of the former indicate that women at risk must be identified and monitored, ensuring they receive early detection and appropriate support and care." These findings were unveiled at the 55th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), which is running this week in Barcelona.

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[ickihun]

I just needed longterm metformin but paid for private fertility care for years until an unsuccessful shared IVF treatment with nhs which lasted 8wks under a professors care.
I just needed IR tests, which 25yrs later still doesn't exist. As far as I know. Oh and maybe diabetic tests. I had it even then. I was eating baby portion sized carbs though so not sure if it would hv been accurate.
The hormones needed are weight gaining. Well, were for me. Once I stopped metformin and then hormones to mature ovarian eggs I was 2-3st heavier. No longer my hard fought 15½stones.
Which made my IR worse.

Ps. I've always wondered why my Endo letters always note my IVF treatment need. What relevance to now? Relevant health status. It tells medics how far I had to go to get pregnant, even though it was unsuccessful.
Only injected insulin provided enough insulin for me and my babies.