A modern approach to management of pregnant diabetics: A two-year analysis of perinatal outcomes

Increased understanding of maternal-fetal carbohydrate homeostasis together with modern perinatal technology now provides a more rational basis for obstetric management of the pregnant diabetic patient. These concepts were applied at MacDonald House in the care of 96 diabetic pregnant women over a two-year period. Pregnancy outcomes were compared with prior experiences with the same group of women. The perinatal mortality rate was reduced from 13.5 to 4.2 per cent, and the rate of macrosomia (infants large for gestational age) was reduced from 30.9 to 17.7 per cent. Patients with gestational diabetes, with a prior loss rate of 8.3 per cent, suffered no losses in the current series. Maternal age was not found to correlate with an untoward outcome in this subgroup.