Effect of diabetes in pregnancy on offspring: Follow-up research in the Pima Indians

The effects of the diabetic pregnancy can be thought of as a vicious cycle, with consequences for the offspring extending well beyond the neonatal period. The young woman whose mother had diabetes during pregnancy is at risk of perpetuating the cycle by developing diabetes by her childbearing years. In this population, much of the increase in childhood Type 2 diabetes can be attributed to the diabetic intrauterine environment, which may be a factor in the alarming rise of this disease nationally.