Insulin resistance after HELLP?

[LEOSMOMMY]

Hi All,

I haven't posted here before, but have received much support from everyone's experience and postings. I am a survivor of Class I Hellp syndrome with severe preeclampsia. Fortunately, I got it very late (39 weeks) and my son was born healthy and full term. I spent 3 days in the ICU and almost died. I am grateful for my life and even more so for my sons. I was wondering if any of you have experienced insulin resistance or other forms of diabetes-like issues since suffering from this disease. I did have gestational diabetes, so I could have been insulin resistance before getting pregnant. I am currently about 10 pounds overweight, but in excellent shape (I work out 5 days week, high intensity running or spinning). My doctors say that there is no correlation and I feel like I'm imagining it...
Overall, I guess I feel like my body has aged since giving birth and having HELLP...I'm not so young anyway at 39 but still....any thoughts would be so welcome and helpful. Thanks much.

Deb

[caryn]

Welcome!

Here's a brand spanking new study that says yes: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22179081

Compared with women who had previous normal pregnancies, women with a history of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension have higher ambulatory blood pressure, BMI and relative insulin resistance... Women with a history of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension have features of the metabolic syndrome which are presumably present already before pregnancy, predisposing them to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and later cardiovascular risk.

I think a number of us would dispute the "present already before pregnancy" bit.

[amjon]

My BS has been very high since my daughter's birth. (My fasting BS was 95; 60-70 was normal for me before.) I don't know if it's related to the pregnancy at all or if it would have been that way anyway. I don't think I had GD (they never said anything, but did the test shortly before her death).