IGF-1 is associated with fetal growth and preterm delivery in type 1 diabetic pregnancy

No data on IGF-1 and either preterm or preeclampsia have been reported so far in diabetic pregnancies. We evaluated consecutive measurements of IGF-1 for preeclampsia, preterm delivery and birth weight in type 1 diabetic pregnancy.

In an outpatient university clinic, 97 pregnant women were consecutively recruited for evaluation of indicators for deterioration of diabetes status and adverse perinatal outcome. At every visit, a blood sample for measurement of IGF-1 was drawn.

IGF-1 levels from week 14 to 32 was consistently lower in women who delivered preterm compared with women whose delivered after gestational week 36; the increase in 2nd and 3rd trimester was steeper in those delivering at term than in women delivering preterm (p = 0.032). IGF-1 in preeclampsia did not show the same relation in diabetic women (p = 0.74). The lowest tertile of birth weight ratio (0.8-1.2) was associated with lower IGF-1 from week 14 to 32 (p = 0.047, adjusted for preterm delivery and preeclampsia).

We found low IGF-1 levels associated with preterm delivery and low birth weight.