A recent study offers reassuring news for women who have experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy, revealing that the condition does not elevate their long-term risk of developing breast cancer.
Gestational diabetes affects approximately 14% of pregnant women and is associated with factors such as obesity and advanced maternal age. Although it typically resolves after delivery, the prevalence of the condition is on the rise.
The research, led by Maria Hornstrup Christensen at the Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, analyzed health outcomes for over 708,000 Danish women who gave birth between 1997 and 2018. Among these women, 24,140 (3.4%) were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during one or more pregnancies. None of the participants had a prior history of diabetes or breast cancer.
The study tracked the participants’ health for an average of nearly 12 years, during which 7,609 cases of breast cancer were recorded. The findings indicate that women with a history of gestational diabetes did not face a higher risk of breast cancer compared to those without the condition. This held true across all types of breast cancer, including premenopausal and postmenopausal cases.
The results remained consistent even after accounting for various factors such as age, smoking status, pre-pregnancy weight, number of children, ethnicity, income, occupation, education, and pre-existing health conditions like high blood pressure.
“This study should provide reassurance to women who have had gestational diabetes, as there is no increased risk of breast cancer associated with this condition,” Christensen stated in a press release. The study’s findings will be presented in September at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Madrid.
Despite these findings, Christensen emphasized the importance of ongoing health vigilance for women with a history of gestational diabetes. “While gestational diabetes is not linked to breast cancer, it is important for women to be aware of other potential health risks, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and postnatal depression.”
As the study’s results are scheduled for presentation at a medical conference, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
