Introduction: The objective was to describe pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in comparison with general population in Sweden.
Material and methods: A population-based retrospective study using University hospital records and Swedish Medical Birth Register was carried out on pregnant women with well-monitored GDM (n = 870) and pregnancies in the Swedish Medical Birth Register (n = 1 553 420). Data from GDM pregnancies was compared to pregnancies in the whole of Sweden during 1995-2010. The main outcome measures were age, first bodyweight in and weight gain during pregnancy, birthweight, gestational length, percentage of cesarean deliveries.
Results: First maternal bodyweight during the GDM pregnancy was higher than in the general population, 72.4 ± 17.4 kg (n = 837) vs. 67.3 ± 12.6 kg (n = 1 383 000; p < 0.0001). Women with GDM gained less weight during pregnancy 9.9 ± 5.8 kg (n = 703) compared to the general population, 13.2 ± 5.7 kg (n = 482 860; p < 0.0001). Mean birthweight in GDM pregnancies was 3564 ± 500 g (n = 743) compared to 3580 ± 483 g for the general population (n = 1 316 364; p = ns). Gestational length was slightly shorter, 39.4 weeks in the GDM pregnancies (n = 683) vs. 39.5 weeks (n = 1 319 876; p = 0.02) in the general population and the percentage of cesarean deliveries higher in the GDM pregnancies at 18.4% (n = 712) vs. 13.3% (n = 1 322 242; p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: Though many studies have shown an increased risk of macrosomia in GDM pregnancies, remaining even after ambitious management programs, we show no difference in birthweight. This may be due to a combination of intense efforts to achieve good metabolic control during pregnancy and shorter pregnancy duration. Preventing unduly large babies is crucial to minimize adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Keywords: Women's health issues; birthweight; gestational diabetes; macrosomia; pregnancy outcome.
© 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.