Mental health and diabetes during pregnancy : is it chicken or egg?

This chapter reviews the authors’ data concerning an Australian study that found an increased risk of GDM in pregnant women who showed signs of depression earlier during their pregnancy. The study followed over 3000 pregnant women and found a significant association between having an Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale > 13 at the first visit to pregnancy care (12-17 weeks) and the diagnosis of GDM at around 28 weeks of pregnancy even when the data were adjusted for parity, smoking, maternal weight, age and ethnicity. As a similar association has been found in women with Type 2 diabetes, and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is significantly increased in women who developed GDM, greater awareness of the potential development of depression during pregnancy and afterwards in women with GDM is warranted