Abstract

The risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus after a pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus is examined in this study in relation to polycystic ovarian syndrome sufferers. Methods. The frequency and determinants of GDM were investigated in a cohort of 988 PCOS-pregnant women who delivered between 2002 and 2005; those who had GDM had follow-up data through 2010 to calculate their risk of developing DM. Results. 192 of the 988 PCOS-affected pregnant women had GDM. Older age, Asian race, pre-pregnancy obesity, family history of DM, metformin usage, and multiple gestations were multivariable predictors of GDM. The incidence of DM was 2.8 (95% confidence interval per 100 person-years) among pregnant women with PCOS and GDM, and it was significantly greater for those who received pharmacologic therapy for GDM. Adjusted for many variables Women who had pharmacological therapy for GDM had a fourfold increased chance of developing DM. The five-year incidence of DM was 13.1% overall and higher in the subgroup receiving pharmacologic therapy. Asian ethnicity and pre-pregnancy adiposity were the two biggest predictors of GDM in women with PCOS.