Pregnancy is influenced by the circadian ("circa" or approximately; diēm or day) system, which coordinates physiology and behavior with predictable daily changes in the environment such as light/dark cycles.
Daily rhythms generated by endogenous circadian mechanisms and synchronized to the light-dark cycle have been implicated in the timing of birth in a wide variety of species. Although chronodisruption (e.g., shift work or clock gene mutations) is associated with poor reproductive outcomes, little is known about circadian timing during pregnancy.
Molecular circadian clocks align daily behavioral and metabolic rhythms with the external day-night cycle. Priming energy metabolism for recurring changes on a 24-hour basis, these clocks are deeply interlinked with metabolic homeostasis and health.
Insulin resistance is a main determinant in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and a major cause of morbidity and mortality.