Maternal fertility problems and risk for transient neonatal diabetes mellitus

The study of imprinting disorders in the context of infertility and its treatment is important, as studies have indicated an increased risk. In this study, we evaluated the risk of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM), defined here as diabetes mellitus presenting within the first six weeks of life, in children born to women with fertility problems.

This nationwide register-based cohort study comprised all 2,107,837 children born in Denmark between 1977 and 2010. Of these, 121,044 (5.7%) children were born to women with fertility problems. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between maternal fertility status and the risk for TNDM.

A total of 103 children developed TNDM during the follow-up period. Children born to women with fertility problems had an elevated risk for TNDM, after adjustment for birth year, maternal age at birth and parental history of diabetes, although this was not statistically significant (HR = 1.49; 95% CI 0.73-3.03). The risk of children born in the period 1994-2010 (a period with more comprehensive information on maternal fertility problems and with more invasive fertility treatment procedures) was increased almost twofold (HR = 1.92; 95% CI 0.92-4.00) but was still not statistically significant.

Our results indicate that children born to women with fertility problems, particularly after 1993, may be at an elevated risk for TNDM. As the increased risks were not statistically significant, however, the finding may be due to chance.