Relph S, Patel T, Delaney L, et al. - Because of an increasing incidence of diabetes in young women, an increase has occurred in the number of pregnant women with preexisting diabetes, many of whom have diabetes-related microvascular complications. In this work, this population has been examined for the magnitude of the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes or disease progression.

• Using a prospective protocol (PROSPERO CRD42017076647), researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on maternal and perinatal complications in women with type 1 or 2 diabetic microvascular disease and the risk factors for worsening of microvascular disease in pregnancy.

• Women with diabetic kidney disease were noted to be at significantly increased risk of having preeclampsia or a cesarean birth during pregnancy, the baby being born early, small or having abnormalities, the baby requiring neonatal care after birth or being stillborn, over and above the risk for diabetic women without kidney damage.

• The risk of early birth or preeclampsia was also higher in correlation with having diabetic eye disease.

• Risk of having new or worsening eye damage is higher among pregnant women with diabetes if it was their first baby, they smoked, they already had advanced eye damage, or they had had diabetes for a long time.