Risk and Recurrence of Serious Adverse Outcomes in the First and Second Pregnancies of Women With Preexisting Diabetes

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Women with preexisting (type 1 or type 2) diabetes experience an increased risk of serious adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is not known, however, how these risks change between the first and second pregnancy and whether there is an increased risk of recurrence. This study describes the absolute risks and recurrence of serious adverse pregnancy outcomes in 220 women with preexisting diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 440 pregnancies occurring in 220 women with preexisting diabetes who delivered successive singleton pregnancies in the North of England during 1996–2008 were identified from the Northern Diabetes in Pregnancy Survey (NorDIP). Predictors of serious adverse outcome were estimated by competing-risks regression. RESULTS Sixty-seven first pregnancies (30.5%) ended in serious adverse outcome, including 14 (6.4%) with congenital anomalies and 53 (24.1%) additional fetal or infant deaths. Thirty-seven second pregnancies (16.8%) ended in serious adverse outcome—half the rate among first pregnancies (P = 0.0004)—including 21 (9.5%) with congenital anomalies and 16 (7.3%) additional fetal or infant deaths. Serious adverse outcomes in the second pregnancy occurred twice as frequently in women who experienced a previous adverse outcome than in those who did not (26.9% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.004), but previous adverse outcome was not associated with preparation for the following pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS Serious adverse outcomes are less common in the second pregnancies of women with preexisting diabetes, although the risk is comparable in those whose first pregnancy ends in adverse outcome. Reducing the risk of recurrence may require more support in the immediate period after an adverse pregnancy outcome.