Gestational diabetes is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, academics have said.
A new study – which will be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes – has found that women with gestational diabetes are not more at risk of developing breast cancer.
Globally, nearly 15% of pregnant women are impacted by gestational diabetes.
- New digital gestational diabetes programme launched to improve pregnancy experience
- Researchers detect new way to diagnose gestational diabetes
- Higher blood sugar levels in women with gestational diabetes linked to higher risk of complications for mother and baby
Women who are older, living with obesity and have a family history of diabetes are at greater risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Women who had gestational diabetes are more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future, previous studies have found.
Prior research has also revealed that gestational diabetes can also trigger mental health conditions, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.
A key feature of gestational diabetes is insulin resistance, which has also been linked to breast cancer.
Senior author Dr Maria Hornstrup Christensen said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer, as well as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. It also has a very high treatment cost compared with other cancer types.
“If we know who is more likely to develop breast cancer, we might be able to detect it earlier when it is easier to treat, reducing deaths and treatment costs and the psychological and physical toll on women.”
During the trial, the team of scientists looked at the health outcomes of 708,121 women who gave birth in Denmark.
More than 24,000 of the women developed gestational diabetes in one or more pregnancy.
These women were observed for roughly 11 years, which in that time 7,609 developed breast cancer, the findings have revealed
- Reassuring new data on the long-term safety of metformin in pregnancy
- Obesity during pregnancy associated with future cardiovascular disease
- Ultraprocessed and fast foods should be avoided during pregnancy
According to the study, the women who had gestational diabetes were no more likely to develop breast cancer than those without.
“It will be reassuring for women who have had gestational diabetes to know that they are not a higher risk of developing breast cancer,” said Dr Christensen.
She added: “They do, however, need to be alert to the fact that they are at higher risk of some conditions, including type 2 diabetes. And all women, regardless of whether or not they have had gestational diabetes, should be breast aware and check their breasts regularly for changes.”
