Lipid Concentration at 13-23 Weeks of Pregnancy and the Risk of Abnormal Glucose Challenge Test (GCT)

n normal pregnancy, there is a major alteration in maternal lipid profile. Pregnancy may increase 300% triglyceride (TG) level, 25-50% increase in total cholesterol (TC), high density cholesterol (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) (1,2). In gestational diabetes, exaggerated hypertriglyceridemia has been found in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy compared to normal pregnant women, although there are studies which show no changes in plasma lipid levels of diabetic compared to non-diabetic pregnant women (37). In general, the case control and prospective studies findings have been unreliable. These studies have been limited by their relatively small sample size and no adjustment for potential confounding factors. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), complicated 3-5% of pregnancies. The disorder is associated with high maternal and fetal morbidity (9-11). Insulin resistance during pregnancy generally appears in the second trimester or later, so that GDM is often overlooked and undiagnosed at the first trimester. It has been suggested that not I 1. Faculty of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.