Author(s)

Guluzar Arzu Turan¹, Tuncay Delibasi²

¹Newlife Fertility Centre, Toronto, Canada.
²Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Joslin Diabetes Center, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common pregnancy complications which affect the mother and offspring. In addition to adverse perinatal outcomes, it may lead to permanent health problems for the mother, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), while increasing the risk of future obesity, CVD, T2DM and GDM in the child. Approximately 15% of women seek fertility treatment. Over the last decade, it has come to attention that patients with an infertility history are more prone to having GDM during their pregnancies, and this review examines the relationship between GDM and infertility. The elevated estrogen, progesterone, leptin, placental lactogen and growth hormone are the main reasons for increased insulin resistance during pregnancy. Despite some confounding factors in the mechanism of GDM in patients with an infertility history, infertility treatment increases the risk, according to numerous studies. The obesity epidemic and associated disorders have become a significant public health concern worldwide. Lifestyle modification for weight loss before pregnancy is encouraged, but there is no strong evidence for improvement in perinatal results. GDM, infertility and infertility treatment have a potential risk of alteration in the embryo’s environment and cause epigenetic reprogramming, which may be inherited to the next generation. The fertility treatment impacts the patient’s and offspring’s health. Patients should be informed about the risks so that they consent and get involved in the decision. Infertility treatment may be accepted as a reason for high-risk pregnancy, and patients can be screened for GDM in early pregnancy.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Infertility, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Assisted Reproduction Treatment (ART)

Turan, G. and Delibasi, T. (2023) Gestational Diabetes and Infertility. Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 13, 203-221. doi: 10.4236/jdm.2023.132016.