Objective: To examine the association of maternal glycemia during pregnancy and after delivery with anthropometry in the offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Methods: A total of 1,263 GDM mothers and their children finished the health survey at 1-5 years after delivery.
Results: Offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy had higher prevalence of overweight, higher mean weight for height Z scores, and higher mean BMI for age Z scores at 1-5 years old than the offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) during pregnancy. Offspring of GDM mothers who developed diabetes 1-5 years after delivery had higher mean values of Z scores for weight for height and BMI for age at 1-5 years old than the offspring of GDM mothers who had normal glucose or prediabetes after delivery.
Conclusions: Offspring of GDM mothers who were diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy or after delivery had an increased risk of childhood overweight or weight gain at 1-5 years old compared with children of GDM mothers with IGT during pregnancy or with normal glucose or prediabetes after delivery.