Gestational dysglycemia (GDM and milder forms of gestational
glucose intolerance) identifies a group of women
who are at increased risk not only for T2DM but also for an
earlier age of onset of CVD. The usefulness of identifying a
dysglycemic pregnancy is that it will identify a population of
women at increased subsequent cardiometabolic risk. Furthermore,
much of that risk, expressed as dysglycemia,
metabolic syndrome, and altered vascular physiology, becomes
evident in the first few months postpartum. Detection
of these conventional abnormalities affords clinicians an
opportunity to attenuate such risk by targeted intervention.
One goal of future investigation is to identify and validate as
potential useful postpartum screening tools and biomarkers
of subsequent vascular risk, including altered endothelial
responsiveness, that may be evident before diabetes, metabolic
syndrome, or cardiovascular events emerge.