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Antibiotic Use in Pregnancy, Abnormal Fetal Growth, and Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

John F Mission1,2, Janet Catov1,2, Tiffany Deihl1,2

  • 1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

American Journal of Perinatology
|September 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic use during pregnancy does not increase risks for small for gestational age (SGA) or large for gestational age (LGA) birth weights, or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). These findings offer reassurance for necessary antibiotic prescriptions in pregnant individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Pharmacology in Pregnancy

Background:

  • Antibiotics are frequently prescribed during pregnancy.
  • Previous research suggests potential links between antibiotic exposure and adverse birth outcomes or diabetes risk in nonpregnant individuals.
  • The impact of antibiotic use on specific pregnancy outcomes like birth weight and gestational diabetes remains an area of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between antibiotic prescriptions during pregnancy and the prevalence of small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) birth weights.
  • To evaluate the impact of antibiotic use in pregnancy on the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cohort study involving 12,551 women delivering between 2012 and 2014.
  • Electronic medical records were used to identify antibiotic prescriptions before gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) testing.
  • Statistical analysis compared rates of SGA, LGA, and GDM between women who received antibiotics and those who did not, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 31.8% of the study population received at least one antibiotic prescription during pregnancy.
  • After adjusting for confounding factors, no statistically significant differences were observed in the risk of SGA (aOR: 1; 95% CI: 0.88-1.15) or LGA (aOR: 1; 95% CI: 0.86-1.17) between exposed and unexposed groups.
  • The risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was also not significantly different (aOR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.72-1.13) in women who used antibiotics during pregnancy.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotic use during pregnancy does not appear to elevate the risk of adverse birth outcomes such as SGA or LGA.
  • The study found no increased likelihood of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) associated with antibiotic prescriptions in pregnancy.
  • These findings support the judicious use of antibiotics when clinically indicated for pregnant individuals, providing important reassurance to patients and clinicians.
Abstract

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