OBJECTIVERetrospective analyses of perinatal databases have raised the intriguing possibility of an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women carrying a male fetus, but it has been unclear if this was a spurious association. We thus sought to evaluate the relationship between fetal sex and maternal glucose metabolism in a well-characterized cohort of women reflecting the full spectrum of gestational glucose tolerance from normal to mildly abnormal to GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total of 1,074 pregnant women underwent metabolic characterization, including oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), at mean 29.5 weeks' gestation. The prevalence of GDM, its pathophysiologic determinants (b-cell function and insulin sensitivity/ resistance), and its clinical risk factors were compared between women carrying a female fetus (n = 534) and those carrying a male fetus (n = 540). RESULTSWomen carrying a male fetus had lower mean adjusted b-cell function (insulinogenic index divided by HOMA of insulin resistance: 9.4 vs. 10.5, P = 0.007) and higher mean adjusted blood glucose at 30 min (P = 0.025), 1 h (P = 0.004), and 2 h (P = 0.02) during the OGTT, as compared with those carrying a female fetus. Furthermore, women carrying a male fetus had higher odds of developing GDM (odds ratio 1.39 [95% CI 1.01-1.90]). Indeed, male fetus further increased the relative risk of GDM conferred by the classic risk factors of maternal age >35 years and nonwhite ethnicity by 47 and 51%, respectively. CONCLUSIONSMale fetus is associated with poorer b-cell function, higher postprandial glycemia, and an increased risk of GDM in the mother. Thus, fetal sex potentially may influence maternal glucose metabolism in pregnancy.Fetal sex has been associated with differential risks of perinatal outcomes. Specifically, it has long been recognized that the presence of a male fetus carries increased risks of adverse outcomes, including preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, umbilical cord prolapse, true umbilical cord knot, failure to progress in the first and second stages of labor, nonreassuring fetal heart rate patterns, cesarean delivery, and lower Apgar scores (1,2). Although the mechanisms by which male sex may contribute to these events are not clearly understood, it seems probable that these outcomes relate primarily to biological factors determined by the fetus. In contrast, however, different pathophysiologic effects would likely need to be

OBJECTIVEThe cumulative effect of postpartum weight retention from each pregnancy in a woman's life may contribute to her ultimate risk of diabetes and vascular disease. However, there is little direct evidence supporting this hypothesis. In this context, we sought to evaluate the cardiometabolic implications of patterns of postpartum weight change and the time course thereof in the first year after pregnancy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThree hundred five women underwent cardiometabolic characterization at recruitment in pregnancy and at 3 and 12 months postpartum. Based on their respective weight changes between prepregnancy and 3 months postpartum (loss or gain) and between 3 and 12 months postpartum (loss or gain), participants were stratified into four groups: loss/loss, gain/loss, loss/gain, and gain/gain. RESULTSMost women (81.0%) had higher weight at 3 months postpartum compared with prepregnancy. Between 3 and 12 months, most women (74.4%) lost weight. At 3 months, there were modest differences between the four groups in mean adjusted LDL cholesterol (P = 0.01) and apolipoprotein-B (apoB; P = 0.02) but no significant differences in adjusted blood pressure, fasting and 2-h glucose, HDL, triglycerides, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), adiponectin, and C-reactive protein. By 12 months postpartum, however, clear gradients emerged, with mean adjusted diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.02), HOMA-IR (P = 0.0003), LDL (P = 0.001), and apoB (P < 0.0001) all progressively increasing from the loss/loss group to gain/loss to loss/gain to gain/gain. Similarly, at 12 months, mean adjusted adiponectin showed a stepwise decrease from loss/loss to gain/loss to loss/gain to gain/gain (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONSAn adverse cardiometabolic profile emerges as early as 1 year postpartum in women who do not lose weight between 3 and 12 months after delivery.Pregnancy is the only normal physiologic setting in which body weight increases by 20% or more during a 9-month period. After delivery, maternal capacity for restoring normal weight regulation may be further disrupted by lifestyle factors, including lack of time for exercise, smoking cessation, and limited sleep duration (1-3). As such, pregnancy and subsequent postpartum weight retention can significantly alter a woman's long-term weight gain trajectory (4). Indeed, weight at 1 year postpartum is a stronger predictor of the likelihood of being overweight 15 years

OBJECTIVEGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with fetal macrosomia and maternal postpartum dysglycemia, insulin resistance, and β-cell dysfunction. Indeed, in practice, a prior pregnancy that resulted in a large-for-gestational-age (LGA) delivery is often considered presumptive evidence of GDM, whether or not it was diagnosed at the time. If this clinical assumption is correct, however, we would expect these women to exhibit postpartum metabolic dysfunction. Thus, to test this hypothesis, we assessed metabolic function during and after pregnancy in a cohort of women stratified according to the presence/absence of GDM and LGA delivery, respectively.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total of 562 women underwent metabolic characterization, including oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in late pregnancy and at 3 months’ postpartum. The women were stratified into three groups: those with neither GDM nor LGA delivery (nonGDM, n = 364), those without GDM but with LGA delivery (nonGDM–LGA, n = 46), and those with GDM (n = 152).RESULTSOn logistic regression, GDM predicted postpartum glucose intolerance (OR 4.1 [95% CI 2.5–6.8]; P < 0.0001), whereas nonGDM–LGA did not (P = 0.65). At 3 months’ postpartum, the mean adjusted levels of fasting glucose and area under the glucose curve on the OGTT were significantly higher in the GDM women compared with either nonGDM or nonGDM–LGA (all P < 0.05), with no differences between the latter two groups. In a similar manner, mean adjusted insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and β-cell function (Insulin Secretion-Sensitivity Index-2) were lower in GDM women compared with either nonGDM or nonGDM–LGA (all P < 0.05), again with no differences between the latter two groups.CONCLUSIONSWomen with nonGDM–LGA do not exhibit postpartum metabolic dysfunction, arguing against the assumption of undiagnosed GDM in these patients.

Background: Infants are at risk of vitamin D insufficiency, owing to their limited exposure to direct sunlight and the low levels of vitamin D in breast milk. Although vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in children, these associations have not been studied in infants, despite their unique risks. Therefore, we sought to determine whether vitamin D status was associated with cardiometabolic measures in infants. Methods: Ninety-nine full-term infants were evaluated at the age of 1 y with measurement of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH-D) and an array of traditional (fasting glucose, insulin, low-densitylipoprotein cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides) and emerging (C-reactive protein, adiponectin, leptin) cardiometabolic risk factors. On the basis of 25-OH-D levels, infants were classified as vitamin D sufficient (n = 59), vitamin D insufficient (n = 29), or vitamin D deficient (n = 11). results: Duration of exclusive breastfeeding and prevalence of nonwhite ethnicity were highest in the vitamin D-deficient group (P = 0.05 and 0.03, respectively). Current use of vitamin D supplementation was highest in the sufficient group (P = 0.02). Of note, however, there were no significant differences among the three groups in any of the cardiometabolic risk factors, on both unadjusted and covariate-adjusted analyses. conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency is not associated with an adverse cardiometabolic risk factor profile in 1-y-old infants.

Current glucose intolerance, rather than previous GDM, may be associated with an increased risk of microalbuminuria in the early postpartum years.