OBJECTIVEWomen with preexisting (type 1 or type 2) diabetes experience an increased risk of serious adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is not known, however, how these risks change between the first and second pregnancy and whether there is an increased risk of recurrence. This study describes the absolute risks and recurrence of serious adverse pregnancy outcomes in 220 women with preexisting diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total of 440 pregnancies occurring in 220 women with preexisting diabetes who delivered successive singleton pregnancies in the North of England during 1996-2008 were identified from the Northern Diabetes in Pregnancy Survey (NorDIP). Predictors of serious adverse outcome were estimated by competing-risks regression.
RESULTSSixty-seven first pregnancies (30.5%) ended in serious adverse outcome, including 14 (6.4%) with congenital anomalies and 53 (24.1%) additional fetal or infant deaths. Thirty-seven second pregnancies (16.8%) ended in serious adverse outcomedhalf the rate among first pregnancies (P = 0.0004)dincluding 21 (9.5%) with congenital anomalies and 16 (7.3%) additional fetal or infant deaths. Serious adverse outcomes in the second pregnancy occurred twice as frequently in women who experienced a previous adverse outcome than in those who did not (26.9% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.004), but previous adverse outcome was not associated with preparation for the following pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONSSerious adverse outcomes are less common in the second pregnancies of women with preexisting diabetes, although the risk is comparable in those whose first pregnancy ends in adverse outcome. Reducing the risk of recurrence may require more support in the immediate period after an adverse pregnancy outcome.Serious adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and congenital anomalies, are associated with significant psychological distress, and parents who experience such events are often very anxious about their chances of recurrence (1,2). In the general population, the risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, and congenital anomaly in the second pregnancy are approximately two times greater in women who experienced the same event in their first pregnancy (3-5), although the absolute risks remain low in the absence of clear genetic or physiological factors.