Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Early Pregnancy: Evidence for Poor Pregnancy Outcomes Despite Treatment

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Recent guidelines recommend testing at RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Outcomes from 4,873 women attending a university hospital antenatal diabetes clinic between 1991 and 2011 were examined. All were treated to standardized glycemic targets. Women were stratified as pre-existing diabetes (n = 65) or GDM diagnosed at n = 68), at 12–23 weeks of gestation (n = 1,247), or at ≥24 weeks of gestation (n = 3,493). RESULTS Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy including pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, cesarean section, and neonatal jaundice (all P < 0.001) were more prevalent in women with pre-existing diabetes and early GDM. Macrosomia (21.8% vs. 20.3%, P = 0.8), large for gestational age (39.6% vs. 32.8%, P = 0.4), and neonatal intensive care admission (38.5% vs. 39.7%, P = 0.9) in women in whom GDM was diagnosed at CONCLUSIONS Despite early testing and current best practice treatment, early GDM in high-risk women remains associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes. Outcomes for those in whom GDM was diagnosed at <12 weeks of gestation approximated those seen in pre-existing diabetes. These findings indicate the need for further studies to establish the efficacy of alternative management approaches to improve outcomes in these high-risk pregnancies.