Interactions Between Pregnancy, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Context: Questionnaire studies linked symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Whether this association is present when OSA is assessed objectively by polysomnography is not known. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between pregnancy, OSA, and GDM. Design, Setting, and Participants: We conducted observational case-control studies using polysomnography in 15 nonpregnant, nondiabetic women (NP-NGT), 15 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (P-NGT), and 15 pregnant women with GDM (P-GDM). The groups were frequency matched for age and race/ethnicity. Pregnant women were studied during the late second to early third trimester. Main Outcome Measures: Comparisons of OSA diagnosis and sleep parameters between NP-NGT and P-NGT to assess the impact of pregnancy and between P-NGT and P-GDM to explore the association between GDM and OSA were measured. Results: Compared with NP-NGT, P-NGT women had a higher apnea hypopnea ind...