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Effect of high parity on the occurrence of prediabetes: a cohort study

Yahya M Al-Farsi1, Daniel R Brooks, Martha M Werler

  • 1Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. ymfarsi@squ.edu.om

Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica
|September 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

High parity does not increase prediabetes risk; maternal age is the confounding factor. This study found no direct link between the number of pregnancies and prediabetes development.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Endocrinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prediabetes is a growing public health concern, affecting women during and after pregnancy.
  • Parity, the number of previous pregnancies, has been suggested as a risk factor for prediabetes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between parity and the occurrence of prediabetes in women.
  • To differentiate the independent effect of parity from confounding factors like maternal age.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study nested within the AMAL study in Oman.
  • Analysis of 3,196 pregnancies from 532 women using Cox proportional hazard regression.
  • Adjusted for maternal age, education, family income, and delivery year.

Main Results:

  • Initially, high parity (≥5 pregnancies) appeared to increase prediabetes risk (HR=3.72).
  • This association significantly attenuated after adjusting for maternal age (HR=1.05).
  • Further adjustments for other confounders did not alter the findings.

Conclusions:

  • The observed association between high parity and prediabetes is likely due to confounding by maternal age.
  • High parity itself is not an independent risk factor for prediabetes.
Abstract

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