Jing Zhong,1 Hua Zhang,1 Jie Wu,2 Bosen Zhang,2,3 Liubing Lan1,2 

1Department of Obstetrics, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Liubing Lan, Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 63 huangtang Road, Meijiang District, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China, Email lanliubing@126.com

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a complication of abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy, with incidence is on the rise. There are inconsistent results on the risks of GDM and it has not been reported in our region. The purpose of this study is to explore the risk factors of GDM.
Methods: A total of 383 pregnant women were analyzed, including 67 (17.5%) pregnant women with GDM and 316 (82.5%) with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). The relationship of personal history, family history and reproductive history of pregnant women, the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), inflammatory markers in blood cell analysis at the first prenatal examination, and fetal ultrasound indices and the risk of GDM were analyzed.
Results: The fetal biparietal diameter, head circumference, and femur length were negatively correlated with HCG level, but not inflammatory markers. The proportion of pregnant women aged ≥ 30 years old, body mass index (BMI) in early pregnancy≥ 24.0 kg/m2, history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), cesarean section, adverse pregnancy, and oral contraceptive use, and pregnant women who conceived through assisted reproduction in GDM group were higher than those in NGT group. Logistic regression analysis showed that age of pregnant woman ≥ 30 years old (≥ 30 vs < 30 years old, odds ratio (OR): 2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.183– 3.878, p=0.012), BMI≥ 24.0 kg/m2 (≥ 24.0 kg/m2 vs 18.5– 23.9 kg/m2, OR: 1.887, 95% CI: 1.041– 3.420, p=0.036), history of adverse pregnancy (yes vs no, OR: 1.969, 95% CI: 1.022– 3.794, p=0.043), and history of oral contraceptive use (yes vs no, OR: 2.868, 95% CI: 1.046– 7.863, p=0.041) were associated with GDM.
Conclusion: Age of pregnant woman ≥ 30 years old, BMI≥ 24.0 kg/m2, history of adverse pregnancy and oral contraceptive use were independent risk factors for GDM.

Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, advanced age, overweight, history of adverse pregnancy, history of oral contraceptive use