Aerobic or Resistance Exercise for Improved Glycaemic Control and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

Exercise is often recommended in addition to diet and medication in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Our aim was to determine if strength training compared with aerobic exercise had an impact on glycaemic control, maternal and neonatal outcomes. The Cochrane library, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Google Scholar, and OpenGrey were searched. Over 758 pregnant women (mother-baby pairs) from 14 studies are included in this systematic review. Interventions ranged from cycling, aerobic exercises, walking, yoga, or combined aerobic and resistance exercises. Of the studies identified, none directly compared aerobic exercise with strength training. Half of the studies showed benefit in glycaemic control with additional exercise compared with usual physical activity. There was largely no impact on obstetric or neonatal outcomes. Studies on exercise in GDM have reiterated the safety of exercise in pregnancy and shown mixed effects on maternal glycaemic control, with no apparent impact on pregnancy outcomes. The heterogenicity of reported studies make it difficult to make specific recommendations on the optimum exercise modality for the management of GDM. The use of a core outcome set for GDM may improve reporting of studies on the role of exercise in its management.

Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes Mellitus and Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes mellitus (CFRDM) is becoming a more common issue in pregnancy care as the life expectancy of females living with cystic fibrosis has improved, with an increasing number of pregnancies in this population. Despite the Republic of Ireland having the highest incidence of cystic fibrosis globally, there is limited Irish data on pregnancy outcomes for those with CFRDM. This study aimed to retrospectively review maternal and foetal outcomes of pregnancies affected by maternal CFRDM. METHODS: The patient records of all women with CFRDM who attended the National Maternity Hospital Dublin for obstetric care between 2015 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A search of patient records identified 15 pregnancies in 12 women with CFRDM during the study period. CFRDM was diagnosed pre-conception in ten of the 15 pregnancies. Median neonatal weight at birth was lower in women with CFRDM diagnosed pre-conception compared to women diagnosed during pregnancy (2.8 vs. 3.02 kg). The median weight gain in women with CFRDM diagnosed pre-conception was 10.9 kg compared to 11.9 kg for those diagnosed during pregnancy. The majority of women (62.5%) with CFRDM diagnosed pre-conception delivered via caesarean section. Admission for CF exacerbations during pregnancy in women with CFRDM diagnosed pre-conception was very common (87.5%) compared with 75% of those diagnosed during their pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Women diagnosed with CFRDM were likely to require caesarean section, to be treated with insulin, and to be frequently admitted to hospital for CF exacerbations. Our review highlights the importance of good glucose control, stable cystic fibrosis before pregnancy and a multidisciplinary team approach.

Clinical Outcomes Following a Change in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Diagnostic Criteria Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Due to COVID-19, many centres adopted a change to the diagnosis of GDM. METHODS: A case-control study of antenatal patients between 1 April and 30 June in 2019 and 2020 looking at detection rates of GDM, use of medication, obstetric, and fetal outcomes. RESULTS: During COVID-19, the rate of positive GDM tests approximately halved (20% (42/210) in 2020 vs. 42.2% (92/218) in 2019, (p < 0.01)) with higher rates of requirement for insulin at diagnosis (21.4% (2020) vs. 2.2% (2019); p < 0.01), and at term (31% (2020) vs. 5.4% (2019); p < 0.01). and metformin at diagnosis (4.8% (2020) vs. 1.1% (2019); p < 0.01), and at term (14.3% (2020) vs. 7.6% (2019) p < 0.01), with no differences in birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There was likely an underdiagnosis of GDM while women at a higher risk of hyperglycaemia were correctly identified. The GTT should be maintained as the gold-standard test where possible, with provisions made for social distancing during testing if required.

Pre-Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Pre-gestational, type 1 and type 2 diabetes are associated with adverse neonatal outcomes and increased rates of emergency caesarean sections. METHODS: We studied pregnancy outcomes associated with pre-gestational diabetes in 174 women who attended the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, between 2015 and 2017. RESULTS: Fifty women (28.6%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 124 women (71.4%) had type 1 diabetes mellitus. Women with type 2 diabetes mellitus were older (36 vs. 34 years, p 0.02) and had a higher BMI (32.6 vs. 26.2 kg/m2, p 0.00). Duration of diabetes mellitus in type 1 and type 2 was 15.7 and 5.7 years, respectively, and mean HbA1c in type 2 diabetes mellitus at booking was 44.5 mmol/mol (6.2%) and in type 1 diabetes mellitus was 56.3 mmol/mol (7.3%). Forty women (32%) with type 1 diabetes mellitus used continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. In our cohort, 45.4% had a caesarean delivery. Offspring of patients with multiple dose injections were lighter (3.58 kg) than infants of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion-treated patients (3.75 kg). More emergency caesarean sections were observed in the continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion group than in the group treated with multiple dose injections (37.5% vs. 28.5%), while the elective caesarean section rate was higher in the multiple dose injection group (17.8% vs. 12.5%). Women treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion had a higher rate of miscarriage (25% vs. 19%) with more congenital malformations (10% vs. 2.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Women in our study with pre-gestational diabetes were overweight, were older and had long-standing diabetes mellitus. Our patients with type 2 diabetes had a higher BMI, were older, had a shorter duration of diabetes mellitus and had better diabetes control compared to women with type 1 diabetes. Women treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion had a higher rate of miscarriage with more congenital malformations. The initial inadequate diabetes control was significantly improved during pregnancy.