HHS Public Access: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
HHS Public Access: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
HHS Public Access: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Author manuscript
Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2020 February 10.
Author Manuscript
Medicine, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 East Chicago Avenue,
Box 54, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
cDivisionof Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Tarry Building, Room 12-703, 300 East
Superior, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Keywords
Gestational diabetes mellitus; Pregnancy; Diagnosis; Offspring; Outcomes; Treatment
Background
The first diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were published by
O’Sullivan and Mahan 55 years ago.1 The criteria were developed from results of a 100-g
oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during pregnancy in an unselected group of pregnant
women (752 in total) receiving antenatal care at the Boston City Hospital. The mean and
standard deviation (SD) of the venous whole blood glucose concentrations for each sample,
fasting and 1, 2, and 3 hours after consumption of the glucose load, were calculated. Values
equal to or greater than 2 SD above the mean were considered abnormal, and it was
arbitrarily decided that for the test to be called abnormal, 2 or more values should be
elevated. These test criteria when applied to 1013 women followed serially for 8 years after
having a 100-g OGTT during pregnancy were strongly associated with the development of
diabetes during follow-up. Glucose concentrations were later extrapolated from the whole
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blood values measured in this study to approximate plasma glucose values for contemporary
analytical methods.
*
Corresponding author. bem@northwestern.edu.
Disclosure Statement: None.
Szmuilowicz et al. Page 2
for the classification of diabetes and various categories of glucose intolerance including
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gestational diabetes, which was restricted to women in whom the “onset or recognition of
diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance occurred during pregnancy.” This subsequently
became the standard definition of GDM. Interpretation of the OGTT using the criteria of
O’Sullivan and Mahan1 extrapolated for plasma values was recommended because data were
unavailable to link maternal glycemia to perinatal outcomes. The World Health Organization
(WHO)5,6 also published criteria for diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance during
pregnancy that were the same as values used in nonpregnant persons. Many other detection
strategies and diagnostic criteria for GDM have been published.7
Nevertheless, there was vigorous debate about the value of detecting and treating GDM that
persisted into the twenty-first century.10 One issue was whether the adverse perinatal
outcomes in pregnancies of women with hyperglycemia less than diagnostic of diabetes
mellitus are independently associated with maternal glycemia or attributable to greater
obesity, higher maternal age, more urinary tract infections, or social disadvantages. The
second was whether treating hyperglycemia in women with GDM actually reduced adverse
outcomes.
75-g, 2-h OGTT at 24 to 32 weeks (mean 28) of gestation. Those with 1 or more OGTT
values above or below predefined concentrations were excluded, as were those who
delivered at a hospital other than where they entered the study. In the remainder, results of
the OGTT were blinded to caregivers and participants, and all were given normal obstetric
and neonatal care. The associations among fasting, 1-h and 2-h OGTT glucose
concentrations, and 4 primary (birthweight and cord blood c-peptide each >95th percentile
and rates of primary cesarean delivery and clinically recognized neonatal hypoglycemia) and
several secondary outcomes were examined in 23,316 pregnancies. As illustrated in Fig. 1,
rates of each outcome increased as each OGTT value increased. The associations were
continuous and linear in models adjusted for confounders, including maternal age, body
mass index (BMI), and study field center. There were no obvious thresholds at which risks
increased. Significant associations were also observed for secondary outcomes, although
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Study13 reported perinatal outcomes in 958 participants who met the Carpenter-Coustan
criteria for gestational diabetes14 whose FPG was less than 95 mg/dL. Although the
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diagnostic tests and criteria used in the 2 RCTs differed substantially, treatment outcomes
were quite similar (Table 1), providing strong evidence that treating GDM can indeed reduce
adverse pregnancy outcomes.
The 1-step approach to detection and diagnosis of GDM recommended by the IADPSG15
results in a higher prevalence of GDM than other strategies, particularly the 2-step
approaches based on the original O’Sullivan-Mahan criteria.1 The fact that the IADPSG
criteria for GDM require 1 or more rather than 2 or more OGTT values equal to or greater
than defined threshold concentrations is a major reason for the higher prevalence rates.
When the IADPSG criteria were applied to the HAPO study cohort retrospectively, 17.8%
had GDM, and there was substantial center-to-center variation in prevalence.16 Given the
high rates of combined T2DM and prediabetes and obesity in nonpregnant women of
reproductive age (Table 2), it is not unexpected that rates of GDM are now much higher than
when GDM was first recognized.1
Current Recommendations
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The WHO has adopted the IADPSG criteria for GDM.17 However, an independent panel of
health professionals and public representatives appointed by the National Institutes of Health
did not.18 ACOG continues to recommend the traditional approach to detection and
diagnosis of GDM. The high prevalence of GDM with associated costs of providing
treatment and the lack of RCT data indicating benefit of treating individuals who meet
IADPSG but not Carpenter-Coustan criteria for GDM (one or more values equal to or
greater than the diagnostic threshold rather than two) contributed to the panel’s conclusions.
Thus, multiple criteria for the diagnosis of GDM are now accepted for use in the United
States (Table 3). It remains to be seen what impact reports of benefit from treating GDM
meeting IADPSG but not Carpenter-Coustan criteria for GDM19 have on clinical practice.
OFFSPRING OUTCOMES
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Perinatal and long-term offspring outcomes following exposure to diabetes in pregnancy are
directly related to glycemic control during pregnancy.11,20–22 Despite recent improvements
in maternal glycemic control and a reduction in the frequency of perinatal complications, the
prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes continues to be higher than the general
population.12,23
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Potential adverse offspring outcomes vary by age group (Table 4) and avoidance of one
outcome does not indicate reduction in risk of other adverse outcomes.21,24,25 It is necessary
to emphasize that most studies reporting short-term and long-term offspring outcomes were
composed of mothers with some or all types of diabetes in pregnancy.
Neonatal Complications
Birth complications, including high risk of cesarean delivery, shoulder dystocia, and birth
injury, are often due to a large-size fetus. The Pedersen hypothesis,26 which was later
expanded on by Freinkel,27 proposed that increased fetal size is the direct result of excessive
circulating maternal glucose and other fuels that cross the placenta to provide the fetus with
energy substrates. The fetus responds to excessive energy substrates by producing higher
amounts of insulin, that is, fetal hyperinsulinemia, which then leads to a number of
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consequences, notably excessive fetal growth and subsequent large for gestational age birth
size. In pregnancies complicated by diabetes, fetal insulin binds to the insulinlike growth
factor 1 receptor with affinity equal to the insulin receptor.28 Growth factors, not growth
hormone, are key promoters of fetal growth.
A relative fetal hypoxia occurs in utero, which may underlie the risk of stillbirth and birth
asphyxia.29 This hypoxia induces increased erythropoietin production and subsequent
polycythemia and hyperbilirubinemia in the neonate.30 Fetal hyperinsulinemia alters lung
surfactant synthesis, and this predisposes to respiratory distress syndrome,31 a life-
threatening condition in the neonatal period that leads to significant morbidity and admission
to the neonatal intensive care unit.
GDM.32 When the constant maternal flow of glucose is abruptly halted at delivery, the
relative fetal hyperinsulinemia continues and uses available neonatal glucose stores, which
can lead to neonatal hypoglycemia. Preventive strategies to diagnose and treat neonatal
hypoglycemia include blood glucose monitoring protocols and frequent feedings in those
neonates deemed at increased risk. In the majority of instances, the condition is self-limited
as the hyperinsulinemia resolves.
Large size at birth is common in offspring born to women with GDM. Numerous studies in
this population have demonstrated that the increased birth weight is due to higher amounts
of fat mass as opposed to fat-free muscle mass.33,34
Childhood Complications
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Only recently has the finding of excessive adiposity among GDM offspring been
documented in childhood.21 Other long-term complications are insulin resistance, impaired
glucose tolerance, and T2DM, collectively termed disorders of glucose metabolism, and
psychological and developmental effects that may be related to neonatal hypoglycemia.
Risk of impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes among offspring of mothers with GDM has
been studied in several cohorts.35 Expressive language, memory recall, and facial
recognition are developmental areas studied in which offspring of mothers with GDM differ
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from controls not exposed to GDM.36,37 An increased risk of autism spectrum disorders in
offspring of mothers with GDM also has been documented.38
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maternal diagnosis of diabetes provide convincing evidence that the diabetic intrauterine
environment underlies the elevated obesity risk, separate or perhaps additive to the genetic
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risk.42 This finding of increased obesity rates among the younger siblings born after the
maternal development of diabetes was duplicated in a study of Swedish male siblings.43
HAPO is unique compared with other studies of hyperglycemia in pregnancy in that the data
are not confounded by maternal treatment. Another novel finding of the HAPO FUS was
that maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy was independently associated with risk of
abnormal glucose tolerance in the offspring.46 In addition, disposition index, a predictor of
T2DM, was significantly lower among offspring of mothers with GDM.47 Several studies of
T2DM in youth found high rates of exposure to maternal GDM.47,48 However, the a priori
associations in HAPO FUS between maternal GDM and offspring disorders of glucose
metabolism provide further convincing evidence that in utero exposure to hyperglycemia
adversely programs the fetal pancreas and increases future risk of disorders of glucose
metabolism.
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Summary
With the increasing prevalence of obesity among women of reproductive age, rates of GDM
will continue to increase. Most concerning is the perpetuation of the cycle of diabetes
between mother and child. Increased rates of adiposity and disorders of glucose metabolism
in peripubertal offspring of mothers with mild, untreated GDM have been demonstrated.21
In studies of young children whose mothers had mild GDM, there was no difference in
obesity rates in the offspring of treated mothers compared with untreated mothers.49
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However, it remains to be determined whether increased obesity rates will emerge in the
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TREATMENT
Lifestyle Interventions
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is a cornerstone of therapy for all women with GDM, and
approximately 80% to 90% of women are able to meet therapeutic targets with MNT alone.
12,13 Multiple benefits have been attributed to lifestyle interventions, including decreased
sized meals and 2 to 3 snacks that are balanced in whole-grain carbohydrates, protein, and
unsaturated fats. Because carbohydrate intolerance can be more marked at the morning meal,
women are often advised to eat less carbohydrate at breakfast (for example, 30 g at breakfast
compared with 45–60 g at lunch and dinner). Although evidence supporting a particular
macronutrient distribution is sparse,51 benefits of a lowglycemic index diet have been
demonstrated.52,53 Meal planning focuses not only on prescribed carbohydrate amounts and
distribution, but also on pairing intake of carbohydrate with ingestion of lean protein and/or
unsaturated fat at meals and snacks, to lessen the degree of postprandial carbohydrate-
induced glycemic excursion. Women are frequently advised to consume a bedtime snack to
counteract the greater tendency toward accelerated starvation and accompanying ketosis that
characterizes the pregnant state and can emerge during the overnight fast. Stemming from
literature suggesting adverse neurodevelopmental impact of gestational ketonemia,35 some
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centers advise women to monitor urine ketone levels to assess for deficiency in carbohydrate
intake; when ketonuria occurs, women are advised to augment nutritional intake.
Moderate physical activity is also recommended as part of the treatment program. Generally,
women with GDM are advised to obtain 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise
on at least 5 days per week or a minimum of 150 minutes over the course of the week,54
similar to recommendations for nonpregnant people with DM. Although studies evaluating
glycemic impact of exercise in GDM are sparse, exercise has been shown to improve fasting
and postprandial glycemia in GDM.55 Acute bouts of moderate-intensity walking after
eating improved postprandial glucose control for up to 3 hours after the meal,56 and post-
meal walking is frequently recommended when there are no contraindications to physical
activity.54
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Pharmacologic Therapy
Insulin—When glycemic goals are not met with MNT, pharmacologic therapy is added.
Insulin therapy is considered the first-line pharmacologic therapy for GDM, as it does not
cross the placenta to a significant degree.54,57 Fasting hyperglycemia is treated with basal
(long-acting or intermediate-acting) insulin, and postprandial hyperglycemia is treated with
prandial (rapid-acting) insulin. Basal and prandial insulin may be used separately or in
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combination, depending on the individual glycemic profile. General total daily insulin
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requirements by gestational age are shown in Table 5, but in practice, individual insulin
requirements vary significantly, with some women achieving glycemic targets at
significantly lower doses and others requiring significantly more. Weekly (or more frequent)
insulin dose adjustments are made based on self-monitored glycemic patterns.
NPH has long been considered the mainstay of basal insulin treatment during pregnancy due
to its long track record of safety and effectiveness, but more recently, basal insulin analogs
have gained increasing acceptance. Insulin detemir was shown to be noninferior to NPH in
pregnancies complicated by type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).58 In addition, the rapid-acting
insulin analogs aspart and lispro have acceptable safety and efficacy profiles in pregnancy.
59,60 Rapid-acting insulin analogs are generally preferred over regular insulin for prandial
coverage because of their more rapid onset of action, enabling administration in closer
proximity to the meal and improved postprandial glycemia.
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Oral agents—At the current time, treatment of GDM with oral agents is controversial, and
data on long-term outcomes for the offspring are lacking.
Glyburide: Although glyburide was previously thought not to cross the placenta in
significant amounts,61 more recent studies using more sensitive assays have demonstrated
significant and highly variable transplacental transfer of glyburide.62,63 Although similar
glycemic control has been reported with glyburide compared with insulin use,61 recent data
have raised concern about increased risk of adverse outcomes with use of glyburide
compared with insulin, including increased risk of macrosomia64 and neonatal
hypoglycemia.64,65 A recent RCT failed to show noninferiority of glyburide compared with
insulin in the reduction of perinatal complications.66 Long-term safety data among offspring
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Metformin: Metformin freely crosses the placenta, and the fetal metformin concentration is
similar to or higher than the maternal concentration.67,68 Metformin compared with insulin
use has been associated with mixed outcomes; for example, less maternal weight gain, lower
postprandial glucose, and less pregnancy-induced hypertension, but higher rates of preterm
birth.64 Although short-term studies of neurodevelopmental outcomes among metformin-
exposed offspring have been reassuring,69 the potential long-term effects on fetal
developmental metabolic programming and the long-term metabolic consequences in the
offspring are currently unknown.70 Notably, 2 studies reported that metformin-exposed
children of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome or GDM were found to weigh more at
471 and 9 years of age.72 It is also worth noting the significant treatment failure rate
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observed with metformin use: up to one-half of women treated with metformin still required
adjunctive insulin therapy.64,73
Summary
At the current time, the comparative advantages and disadvantages of insulin, glyburide, and
metformin in the treatment of GDM are uncertain, especially with regard to long-term
outcomes in prenatally exposed offspring. Embodying these uncertainties, current expert
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therapy for GDM, whereas the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine advises that metformin
is a reasonable and safe first-line pharmacologic alternative to insulin.74 ACOG54 notes that
oral agents (with metformin preferred over glyburide) are a reasonable alternative for
women unable or unwilling to use insulin.
In our opinion, at the current time, insulin remains the first-line treatment for GDM due to
the known transplacental passage of oral agents, the absence of long-term safety data in
prenatally exposed offspring, and concerns about nonequivalent perinatal outcomes. This
position is consistent with the ADA’s current clinical practice recommendations.57 Women
should be informed that oral agents cross the placenta and that, although no prohibitive
adverse fetal outcomes have been observed in short-term studies, long-term safety data are
lacking.
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Glucose Monitoring
Women are asked to monitor capillary blood glucose fasting and either 1 or 2 hours after
meals (with selective use of pre-lunch and pre-dinner values) to guide insulin dose
adjustments.
Although continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been shown to improve glycemic and
neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by T1DM,75 studies evaluating CGM use in
GDM are limited. Although improved glycemic control and pregnancy outcomes have been
reported with CGM use among women with GDM,76 these findings have not been
consistent.77 Larger studies evaluating the role of CGM use in pregnancies complicated by
GDM are needed.
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Glycemic Goals
The second and third trimesters of pregnancy are characterized by a progressive increase in
insulin resistance and therefore insulin requirements because of the gradual increase in
placental elaboration of diabetogenic hormones over the course of gestation. As a result,
frequent glucose monitoring and therapeutic adjustments are typically required to achieve
glycemic targets.
Women are advised to submit weekly glucose updates. Typically, changes to the therapeutic
regimen (addition of insulin for those treated with lifestyle modifications only, or adjustment
of the insulin regimen for those already taking insulin) are recommended when 20% to 25%
of glucose values (e.g., 2 days out of 7) at a particular time point (fasting and/or following a
particular meal) are above target despite adherence to the existing treatment regimen, or if
hypoglycemia occurs. Serial adjustments to the basal and/or prandial insulin doses are
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addition to insulin doses, ongoing attention is paid to the impact on glycemic patterns of
other factors, including timing of prandial insulin administration in relation to food intake,78
meal composition/food choices, and physical activity.
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KEY POINTS
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determined.
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Fig. 1.
Frequency of primary outcomes across the glucose categories of fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour
values in a 75-g OGTT. (A) Birth weight >90th percentile. (B) Primary cesarean delivery.
(C) Clinical neonatal hypoglycemia. (D) Cord blood serum c-peptide >90th percentile.
(From HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group, Metzger BE, Lowe LP, et al.
Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. N Engl J Med 2008;358(19):1991–2002;
with permission.)
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Table 1
Outcome a b
ACHOIS MFMU
Birth weight ↓ ↓
Macrosomia ↓ ↓
Preeclampsia ↓ ↓
Cesarean delivery — ↓
Shoulder dystocia — ↓
—,
indicates no difference between outcome in the intervention and observation participants.
↓,
indicates reduced outcome rate or mean.
a
Australian Carbohydrate Intolerance Study.12
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b
Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit Network Study.13
Data from Crowther CA, Hiller JE, Moss JR, et al. Effect of treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus on pregnancy outcomes. N Engl J Med.
2005;352(24):2477–2486 and Landon MB, Spong CY, Thom E, et al. A multicenter, randomized trial of treatment for mild gestational diabetes. N
Engl J Med. 2009;361(14):1339–1348
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Table 2
Weighted distribution and glucose and BMI categories among women age 20–44 years, United States, 1976–
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From Metzger BE, Buchanan TA. Gestational diabetes. In: Cowie CC, CS, Menke A, Cissell MA, Eberhardt MS, Meigs JB, Gregg EW, Knowler
WC, Barrett-Connor E, Becker DJ, Brancati FL, Boyko EJ, Herman WH, Howard BV, Narayan KMV, Rewers M, Fradkin JE, ed. Diabetes in
America, 3rd ed. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, NIH Pub No. 17–1468; 2018:4–1–17.
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Table 3
Abbreviations: IADPSG, International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups; NDDG, National Diabetes Data Group.
a
The oral glucose tolerance test should be performed in the morning after an overnight fast of at least 8 hours but not more than 14 hours and after
at least 3 days of unrestricted diet (≥150 g carbohydrate per day) and physical activity.
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b
For the diagnosis, 2 or more of the glucose values must be met or exceeded.1
c
For the diagnosis, 2 or more of the glucose values must be met or exceeded.4
d
For the diagnosis, 2 or more of the glucose values must be met or exceeded.14
e
For the diagnosis, 1 or more of the glucose values must be met or exceeded.15
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Table 4
Neonate Large for gestational age, birth injury, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress syndrome/transient tachypnea, polycythemia and
hyperbilirubinemia, hypocalcemia
Child Neurodevelopmental impairments, obesity, increased adiposity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance
Adult Obesity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus
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Table 5
Calculating total daily insulin requirement of a pregnant woman during different trimesters of pregnancy
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Based on average total daily insulin requirements in pregnant women with preexisting diabetes mellitus.
From Castorino K, Paband R, Zisser H, et al. Insulin pumps in pregnancy: using technology to achieve normoglycemia in women with diabetes.
Curr Diab Rep. 2012;12(1):53–59; with permission.
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