Age at first childbirth influences later diabetes risk

(HealthDay)—Age at first childbirth is associated with the risk of diabetes in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in Diabetes Care.

Jin Hwa Kim, M.D., Ph.D., from Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju, South Korea, and colleagues used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the correlation between age at first childbirth and glucose tolerance status in postmenopausal women. Data were included for 4,965 postmenopausal women.

The researchers found that the prevalence of diabetes differed significantly between the subgroups and was increased with earlier age at first childbirth (10.9 percent for women aged ≥30 years and 23.8 percent for those aged ≤19 years). Age at first childbirth ≤19 years correlated significantly with diabetes (odds ratio, 1.492) after adjustment for potentially confounding variables, including lifestyle, sociodemographic factors, known diabetes risk factors, and reproductive factors. There were no significant associations observed for age at first childbirth and impaired fasting glucose.

"In conclusion, age at first childbirth influenced diabetes in postmenopausal women, and adolescent pregnancy was independently associated with a higher risk of diabetes in postmenopausal women," the authors write.