Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;41(12):2754-2760.
doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01292-3. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Reexamining intrapartum glucose control in patients with diabetes and risk of neonatal hypoglycemia

Affiliations

Reexamining intrapartum glucose control in patients with diabetes and risk of neonatal hypoglycemia

Tooba Z Anwer et al. J Perinatol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Compare the incidence of hypoglycemia in neonates born to patients with diabetes, based on last maternal glucose before delivery.

Study design: Cohort of singleton births from individuals with pregestational and gestational diabetes (GDM) from 2017 to 2019.

Results: We included 853 deliveries. Maternal hyperglycemia before delivery was associated with 1.8-fold greater risk of neonatal hypoglycemia (glucose < 45 mg/dL) in patients with GDM on medication (adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-2.7), compared with euglycemia. This association was not seen in diet-controlled GDM (0.5; 0.23-1.1), nor in Type 1 (1.1; 0.88-1.4), or Type 2 pregestational diabetes (1.1; 0.61-1.9). Further, pregestational diabetes, compared to GDM, regardless of intrapartum maternal glucose control, was associated with neonatal hypoglycemia and NICU admission.

Conclusion: Maternal hyperglycemia before delivery only carried a higher risk of neonatal hypoglycemia in those with GDM on medications. Other interventions to reduce neonatal hypoglycemia are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Participant Allocation
GDM= gestational diabetes, T1DM= Type 1 diabetes mellitus; T2DM= Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Maternal euglycemia was defined as capillary glucose ≤110 mg/dL and hyperglycemia was defined as glucose >110 mg/dL.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Risk of neonatal outcomes among women with pre-delivery hyperglycemia compared with euglycemia
Risk of neonatal hypoglycemia (<45 mg/dL) within 1 hour and within 2–24 hours from birth, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission for infants in the setting of maternal hyperglycemia >110 mg/dL compared to euglycemia are displayed as both crude risk ratio (black square) with 95% confidence intervals (bars) and adjusted risk ratio (blue circles) with 95% confidence intervals (bars) adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, insurance status, BMI, and IV insulin use.

References

    1. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 201: Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;132(6):E228–E248. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000002960 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Committee on Practice B-O. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 190: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Obs Gynecol. 2018;131(2):e49–e64. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000002501 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dodd JM, Crowther CA, Antoniou G, Baghurst P, Robinson JS. Screening for gestational diabetes: The effect of varying blood glucose definitions in the prediction of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes. Aust New Zeal J Obstet Gynaecol. 2007;47:307–312. doi:10.1111/j.1479-828X.2007.00743.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Metzger BE, Contreras M, Sacks DA, Watson W, Dooley SL, Foderaro M, et al. Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(19):1991–2002. doi:10.1056/nejmoa0707943 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pettitt DJ, Knowler WC, Baird HR, Bennett PH. Gestational diabetes: Infant and maternal complications of pregnancy in relation to third-trimester glucose tolerance in the Pima Indians. Diabetes Care. 1980;3(3):458–464. doi:10.2337/diacare.3.3.458 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types