Naturally occurring insulin autoantibodies in neonates of normal pregnancies and their relationship to insulinemia and birth weight

Antibodies against insulin in fetal cord blood do not appear to come from the mother. Researchers measured glucose, insulin and insulin autoantibodies in blood samples from 70 pregnant women and cord blood samples from their newborn infants. None of the women had diabetes before pregnancy or gestational diabetes during the pregnancy. Blood levels of insulin autoantibodies were substantially higher in the cord blood samples than in the maternal samples. There was no association between cord blood autoantibodies and maternal autoantibodies. Both cord blood and maternal insulin levels were positively associated with birth weight. Fourteen of the babies were extremely large for their gestational age, a condition called macrosomia.