Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: "Placental-maternal Crosstalk and Future Health"

The GaP Study: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: "Placental-maternal Crosstalk and Future Health

The GaP study is designed to close important knowledge gaps by:

1. exploring placental health and cellular ageing in GDM and the association with neonatal outcome
2. evaluating the effectiveness of current and novel maternal health follow-up strategies after GDM

The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing. GDM has potential adverse short and long term health effects for both the women and her offspring, and involves dysfunctional interaction between placenta and the maternal body. The burden for the individual, the health system and society warrants further investigations into the placental-maternal crosstalk in GDM in order to improve personalized pregnancy surveillance and follow-up. In Oslo county, nearly twice as many women who give birth suffer from GDM (5.7%) than from preeclampsia (2.3%). The large obstetric department at Ullevål provides an optimal environment for novel translational studies and clinical practical aspects of GDM. The GaP study is designed to close important knowledge gaps by:

1. exploring placental health and cellular ageing in GDM and the association with neonatal outcome
2. evaluating the effectiveness of current and novel maternal health follow-up strategies after GDM

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women >18 years with GDM giving birth at Oslo University hospital Ullevål.
• Control group of gestational age matched euglycemic, normotensive pregnancies

Exclusion Criteria:

• reduced fetal movements,
• epilepsy
• thyroidea dysfunction
• hypertensive disorder of pregnancy
• non-communicable disease
• Communicable disease (such as HIV)
• type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
• not able to understand Norwegian or English.
• under legal guardianship.