Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Xiao, L.
• Zhao, J. P.
• Nuyt, A. M.
• Fraser, W. D.
• Luo, Z. C.

Titel

Female fetus is associated with greater maternal insulin resistance in pregnancy

Ist Teil von

• Diabetic medicine, 2014-12, Vol.31 (12), p.1696-1701

Ort / Verlag

Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Aim To explore the hypothesis that female fetus is associated with greater maternal insulin resistance during pregnancy. Methods In a singleton pregnancy cohort study (n = 299), we compared maternal insulin resistance according to fetal sex, based on plasma biomarkers from a 50‐g 1‐h oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks gestation. The primary outcome was plasma glucose‐to‐insulin ratio. Other outcomes included plasma proinsulin‐to‐insulin ratio, and insulin, proinsulin, leptin, adiponectin and insulin‐like growth factor I and II concentrations. Results After adjusting for maternal race, age, parity, education, pre‐pregnancy BMI, smoking and alcohol use, history of gestational diabetes, and gestational age at blood sampling, plasma insulin concentrations were significantly higher (mean ± sd: 66.4 ± 50.5 vs 51.0 ± 46.1 mU/l; adjusted P = 0.001), and glucose‐to‐insulin ratios significantly lower (2.60 ± 2.03 vs 3.77 ± 4.98 mg/dl/mU/l; adjusted P = 0.002) in women bearing a female vs those bearing a male fetus, despite similar glucose levels (116.4 ± 27.2 vs 117.0 ± 31.9 mg/dl; adjusted P = 0.92).There were no significant differences in proinsulin‐to‐insulin ratios, or leptin, adiponectin, insulin‐like growth factor I and insulin‐like growth factor II concentrations by fetal sex. Conclusion Female fetus may be associated with greater maternal insulin resistance during pregnancy. What's new? There is substantial evidence indicating that girls are more insulin‐resistant than boys in utero, but it is unknown whether the female fetus may affect insulin resistance in the mother during pregnancy. The present study provides the first preliminary evidence that the female fetus is associated with greater maternal insulin resistance in pregnancy, indicating that fetal sex may affect maternal insulin sensitivity during gestation.