The possibility of an early growth delay in White's class A diabetic pregnancy

Abstract

Ultrasound scanning has revealed that some fetuses of women with insulin-dependent diabetes are smaller than normal in early pregnancy as judged by the crown-rump length. This early growth delay is negatively correlated to the quality of diabetes regulation. Nine White's Class A diabetic women had fetuses that were on average 4.5 days (range, 0-11 days) smaller than expected from the menstrual history. Apparently, the expectedly modest metabolic disturbances in early pregnancy of Class A diabetic women are able to interfere with normal embryonic growth.