Management of pregnant women with borderline gestational diabetes mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is usually said to be any degree of glucose intolerance or high blood glucose level (hyperglycaemia) that is first recognised during pregnancy. Yet no immediately obvious cut-off points can be labelled as abnormal. It is unclear when treatment should be provided to normalise the blood glucose, as the relationship between increased hyperglycaemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes appears to be continuous. Pre-eclampsia in the mother, birthweight greater than 4000 g (macrosomia), birth trauma with large-for-gestational age (LGA) babies, and a future risk of obesity and diabetes in the mothers and babies are all associated with hyperglycaemia during pregnancy. Intensive management involving lifestyle interventions and metabolic monitoring for women with GDM has been proven beneficial for women and their babies.

This review found dietary advice or counselling and blood glucose level monitoring for women with borderline GDM helped reduce the number of macrosomic and LGA babies. A single trial found that the interventions led to more inductions of labour. The interventions did not increase the risk of caesarean sections, operative vaginal births or women's weight gain in pregnancy. These findings were based on four small randomised controlled trials (involving 543 women). The trials were of moderate to high risk of bias and only data from 521 women and their babies is included in our analyses. Until additional evidence from large well designed randomised trials becomes available, current evidence is insufficient to make conclusive recommendations for the management of women with pregnancy high blood glucose concentrations not meeting GDM (or type 2 diabetes) diagnostic criteria.

Authors' conclusions: 

This review found interventions including providing dietary advice and blood glucose level monitoring for women with pregnancy hyperglycaemia not meeting GDM and T2DM diagnostic criteria helped reduce the number of macrosomic and LGA babies without increasing caesarean section and operative vaginal birth rates. It is important to notice that the results of this review were based on four small randomised trials with moderate to high risk of bias without follow-up outcomes for both women and their babies.

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Background: 

Pregnancy hyperglycaemia without meeting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnostic criteria affects a significant proportion of pregnant women each year. It is associated with a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although intensive management for women with GDM has been proven beneficial for women and their babies, there is little known about the effects of treating women with hyperglycaemia who do not meet diagnostic criteria for GDM and type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Objectives: 

To assess the effects of different types of management strategies for pregnant women with hyperglycaemia not meeting diagnostic criteria for GDM and T2DM (referred as borderline GDM in this review).

Search strategy: 

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (30 September 2011).

Selection criteria: 

Randomised and cluster-randomised trials comparing alternative management strategies for women with borderline GDM.

Data collection and analysis: 

Two review authors independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies. Data were checked for accuracy.

Main results: 

We included four trials involving 543 women and their babies (but only data from 521 women and their babies is included in our analyses). Three of the four included studies had moderate to high risk of bias and one study was at low to moderate risk of bias. Babies born to women receiving management for borderline GDM (generally dietary counselling and metabolic monitoring) were less likely to be macrosomic (birthweight greater than 4000 g) (three trials, 438 infants, risk ratio (RR) 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.74) or large-for-gestational (LGA) age (three trials, 438 infants, RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.66) when compared with those born to women in the routine care group. There were no significant differences in rates of caesarean section (three trials, 509 women, RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.27) and operative vaginal birth (one trial, 83 women, RR 1.37, 95% CI 0.20 to 9.27) between the two groups.