Subject characteristics and glucose metabolism
Age, parity, education, fetal gender, and birth weight did not differ between the NW and OB groups (Table 1). BMI, fat mass (FM), and fat free mass (FFM) were lower in NW than OB during and after pregnancy; at 18 months after pregnancy, the difference in FFM had disappeared. During pregnancy, total body weight (p = 0.016) and FM (p = 0.001) increased more in NW, but the gain in FFM was similar in the two groups. There was no difference between NW and OB in self-reported nausea during pregnancy. There was, however, a significant difference in nausea between women carrying a female or male fetus (nausea reported in 72% of women carrying a female fetus and 42% in women carrying male a fetus, p = 0.03).
Fasting blood glucose, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-B were lower in NW at all time points during and after pregnancy (Table 1). In NW during pregnancy, blood glucose levels decreased whereas HOMA-IR and HOMA-B increased (p = 0.04, p = 0.014, and p < 0.001 for changes between T1 and T3 in glucose, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B respectively). In OB, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B increased significantly during pregnancy, but the change in blood glucose was not significant (p = 0.20,p < 0.001, and p < 0.001 for changes between T1 and T3 in glucose, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B respectively). After pregnancy in both groups, glucose levels increased whereas HOMA-IR and HOMA-B decreased (p < 0.001for all changes between T3 and 6months in glucose, HOMA-IR and HOMA-B in both NW and OB).