Changes in blood lipid levels during various stages of pregnancy in women with type 2 diabetes and their effects on the incidence of large-for-gestational-age newborns

Abstract Aims: To study the effect of blood lipid changes on the incidence of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) fetuses in pregnant women with type 2 diabetes Methods: We selected pregnant women with type 2 diabetes who delivered at our hospital between 2019 and 2022; compared blood lipids, blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin in each trimester; the alterations in blood lipids at different levels. Results: In the hyperglycemic group, the incidence of LGA gradually increased commensurate with the increase in triglycerides (TG) in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy (14.3%, 20.0%, 37.5%, and 61%),(p<0.05). In the ideal blood-glucose control group, there was no such tendency. Pregnant women with poor blood-glucose control in the first trimester and those with good blood-glucose control in the later trimesters exhibited gradually increasing total cholesterol and TG in late pregnancy, causing a rise in the LGA ratio (p<0.05). Conclusions: The increase in the absolute value of blood lipid concentrations in the first trimester exerted a greater impact on pregnant women with poor blood-glucose control, and this effect persisted after improved blood-glucose control. We posit that a reasonable reduction in the blood lipid levels of pregnant women with type 2 diabetes will reduce the incidence of LGA.