Gestational and pre-gestational diabetes: Comparison of maternal and fetal characteristics and outcome

Objective: To determine the incidence of antenatal and intrapartum maternal and fetal complications of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and compare them with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (pre-GDM) and non-diabetic pregnancies in our population. Study design: Nine-hundred and seventy-two women with gestational diabetes mellitus and 71 women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus, and their offspring (delivered in our hospital between January 1991 and April 1994) were studied. Maternal and fetal prenatal and intrapartum complications were analyzed. Results: The incidence of GDM was 9.8%. The maternal complications included higher incidences of cesarean section and perineal lacerations in GDM and pre-GDM patients than in the non-diabetic pregnancies, and higher rates of macrosomia and hypoglycemic episodes in their offspring. Conclusion: The incidence of maternal, fetal and neonatal complications in GDM is similar to pre-GDM patients and their offspring. Both GDM and pre-GDM pregnancies and the offspring should, therefore, be monitored and managed identically.