Oxidative Stress in Pregnancies Complicated by Diabetes

Abstract

The placenta is essential for normal foetal metabolism and growth. However, maternal diabetes is an unfavourable environment for embryonic and fetoplacental development, which may disrupt normal foetal programming, leading later to metabolic disease. Additionally, an adverse in utero environment may lead to foetal congenital anomalies. Existing diabetes before pregnancy (pregestational type 1 and or type 2 diabetes mellitus) may have negative effects on the embryonic development, while gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) that occurs during late stages of pregnancy may affect the growth and maturation of the foetus. Many of the damaging effects of diabetes in pregnancy have been attributed to..