Does weight management after gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis improve pregnancy outcomes? A multi-ethnic cohort study.

AIMS: To assess the impact of achieving an Institute of Medicine based personalised weight target in addition to conventional glycaemic management after gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis on maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective audit of clinical data (2016-2019) for singleton gestational diabetes pregnancies was conducted in a multi-ethnic cohort. Logistic regression analyses assessed relationships between achieving, exceeding and gaining less than a personalised weight target provided after gestational diabetes diagnosis and rates of large for gestational age, small for gestational age infants, insulin therapy initiation and neonatal outcomes. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were adjusted for glucose 2-h post-glucose load value, family history of type 2 diabetes, previous gestational diabetes, macrosomia in a previous pregnancy, and East and South-East Asian ethnicity. RESULTS: Of 1034 women, 44% (n = 449) achieved their personalised weight target. Women who exceeded their personalised weight target had significantly and higher mean insulin doses (28.8 ± 21.5 units vs. 22.7 ± 18.7, p = 0.006) and higher rates of large for gestational age infants (19% vs. 9.8%, p < 0.001), with aOR of 1.99 [95% CI 1.25-3.15] p = 0.004, but no difference in rates of small for gestational age infants (5.3% vs. 8.0%) (aOR 0.77 [0.41-1.44] p = 0.41). Lower rates of large for gestational age infants occurred in those who gained below their personalised weight target (aOR 0.48 [0.25-0.95] p = 0.034), but rates of small for gestational age infants concurrently increased (aOR 1.9 [1.19-3.12] p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Weight management after gestational diabetes diagnosis does not appear to be too late to confer additional benefits to glucose-lowering treatment, resulting in lower mean insulin doses, and lower rates of large for gestational age infants without increasing the risk of small for gestational age infants.

Excessive Weight Gain Before and During Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Management: What Is the Impact?

OBJECTIVE: Conventional gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) management focuses on managing blood glucose in order to prevent adverse outcomes. We hypothesized that excessive weight gain at first presentation with GDM (excessive gestational weight gain [EGWG]) and continued EGWG (cEGWG) after commencing GDM management would increase the risk of adverse outcomes, despite treatment to optimize glycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data collected prospectively from pregnant women with GDM at a single institution were analyzed. GDM was diagnosed on the basis of Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society 1998 guidelines (1992-2015). EGWG means having exceeded the upper limit of the Institute of Medicine-recommended target ranges for the entire pregnancy, by GDM presentation. The relationship between EGWG and antenatal 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) values and adverse outcomes was evaluated. Relationships were examined between cEGWG, insulin requirements, and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants. RESULTS: Of 3,281 pregnant women, 776 (23.6%) had EGWG. Women with EGWG had higher mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) on oGTT (5.2 mmol/L [95% CI 5.1-5.3] vs. 5.0 mmol/L [95% CI 4.9-5.0]; P < 0.01), after adjusting for confounders, and more often received insulin therapy (47.0% vs. 33.6%; P < 0.0001), with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.7; P < 0.01). aORs for each 2-kg increment of cEGWG were a 1.3-fold higher use of insulin therapy (95% CI 1.1-1.5; P < 0.001), an 8-unit increase in final daily insulin dose (95% CI 5.4-11.0; P < 0.0001), and a 1.4-fold increase in the rate of delivery of LGA infants (95% CI 1.2-1.7; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The absence of EGWG and restricting cEGWG in GDM have a mitigating effect on oGTT-based FPG, the risk of having an LGA infant, and insulin requirements.