Maternal height has been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between maternal height and adverse outcomes stratified for gestational weight gain (GWG) and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in women with GDM.
We conducted a retrospective study that included 2048 women diagnosed with GDM during 24-28 gestational weeks from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, in Zhejiang Province, China. Demographic data, maternal characteristics and pregnancy complications were extracted from medical records. Maternal height was divided into three categories by tertiles. Chi-square was used to evaluate categorical data while one-way ANOVA was utilized to analyze continuous variables. The relationship between maternal height and adverse outcomes was examined using logistic regression.
We found that shorter women had higher rates of low birth weight (LBW) (p = 0.003) and primary cesarean section (primary CS) (p < 0.001) while taller women had higher rates of abnormal neonatal ponderal index (p < 0.001), postpartum hemorrhage (p = 0.044) and macrosomia (p < 0.001). In taller women who had excess GWG, maternal height was positively associated with the risk of macrosomia (aOR 1.97, 95% CI 0.95-4.10). In shorter women who had inadequate GWG, maternal height was significantly associated with LBW (aOR 2.20, 95% CI 1.13-4.29) and primary CS (aOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.38-3.12). Maternal height was a protective factor of postpartum hemorrhage (aOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.72) in shorter women with excess GWG. In women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal height was positively associated with LBW (aOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.15-3.49) and primary CS (aOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.28-2.28) in shorter women while it was negatively associated with the risk of abnormal neonatal ponderal index in both shorter and taller women compared to average height women (aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.92; aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51-0.85).
The association between maternal height and adverse pregnancy outcomes varies with pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG in GDM women. Taking maternal height, pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG into account and using personalized prenatal management may reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM.

© 2023. The Author(s).