Hypoglycemia in Pregnancy and Reproductive Outcome
Sophia Ouhilal from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, addressed the question of hypoglycemia in pregnancy with her work on mice lacking the glucagon receptor. Glucagon is critical in maintaining adequate circulating glucose concentrations. Receptor-deficient mice are hypoglycemic and have reduced fat mass and hyperplastic pituitary alpha-cells. When bred, these mice have smaller and fewer pups with larger and histologically abnormal placentas near the end of gestation. When receptor function is restored, they have normal reproductive capacity. This suggests that chronic hypoglycemia in pregnancy, due to starvation or excessive insulin therapy in diabetic women, may be associated with a poor reproductive outcome.
Medscape Ob/Gyn. 2003;8(1) © 2003 Medscape
Cite this: Highlights From the Society for Gynecologic Investigation 51st Annual Meeting - Medscape - Apr 21, 2003.
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