[Early detection of Insuline Resistence in Pregnant Women]

Gestational diabetes due to insulin resistance (IR) is a priority health problem for the WHO given its consequences for both mother and fetus.

To determine the suitability of HOMA-IR for early detection of insulin resistance in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A quantitative, comparative, and correlational study was conducted in 30 pregnant women, selected by convenience sampling. IR was determined in the first trimester using the HOMA-IR test with cut-off points based on pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) in the first trimester and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in the second trimester. Analysis was performed using SPSS with the following statistical methods: Shapiro-Wilk normality test; Pearson's and Spearman's r correlation coefficients; Levene's test for independent samples; Student's t-test; and Mann-Whitney U test; as well as risk analysis with respect to BMI.

The average age was 27 years. No relationship was found between HOMA-IR and sociodemographic variables or pre-pregnancy BMI. During the first trimester, HOMA-IR detected IR in 56.6% of pregnant women; while in the second trimester, the OGTT detected IR in 66.3% of pregnant women. A moderate relationship was found between HOMA-IR and OGTT values at one and two hours, but not in the fasting state. The difference in mean HOMA-IR values between the groups with and without IR persisted in the OGTT tests performed in the fasting, one-hour, and two-hour states. Pre-pregnancy BMI indicating overweight and obesity did not represent a significant risk.

The HOMA-IR study proved useful for the early detection of IR, which can be used to guide lifestyle modifications in women with risk factors. Further scientific evidence is recommended.