ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Developmental Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1596717
This article is part of the Research TopicRecent Advances in Gestational Diabetes: Diagnosis, Treatment and PreventionView all 9 articles
Analysis of Glucose Metabolism Outcomes 4–7 Years Postpartum in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus using Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Maternal Risk Factors: A Chinese Cohort Study
Provisionally accepted
- International Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Background: This study investigates glucose metabolism outcomes and glycemic variability in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) 4–7 years postpartum. It also identifies maternal risk factors for glucose metabolism abnormalities (GMA) to support early prevention strategies.Methods: A bidirectional cohort study was conducted with 60 women with GDM and 60 without GDM, recruited from Peking University International Hospital between 2017 and 2019. Participants underwent oral glucose tolerance tests at 4–7 years postpartum and were categorized into GMA and normal glucose tolerance groups. Continuous glucose monitoring assessed glycemic variability, and logistic regression identified early pregnancy risk factors for postpartum GMA.Results: (1) Women with a history of GDM have a higher incidence of GMA 4-7 years postpartum (p < 0.001). (2) They also showed increased cardiovascular risk factors 4-7 years postpartum, including diastolic blood pressure, body fat ratio, and interleukin-6 (p<0.05). (3) Blood glucose variability is significantly higher in all participants with a history of GDM, even in the normal glucose tolerance group. (4) Independent early pregnancy predictors of postpartum GMA included pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), the triglyceride-glucose index, and a history of GDM (AUC = 0.870, 95% CI: 0.808–0.931).Conclusions: Women with a history of GDM are at a higher risk of GMA and glycemic variability 4–7 years postpartum. Pre-pregnancy BMI, the triglyceride-glucose index, and GDM history are strong predictors of postpartum GMA, highlighting the need for early intervention. Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, postpartum period, continuous glucose monitoring, glycemic variability, risk factors
Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, Postpartum Period, Continuous glucose monitoring, Glycemic variability, Risk factors
Received: 20 Mar 2025; Accepted: 11 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 ZHAO, Yuan, Zhao, Sun, Xu and XIAOMEI. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: ZHANG XIAOMEI, z.x.mei@163.com
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