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Gestational diabetes: is a higher cesarean section rate inevitable?
R G Moses1, S J Knights, E M Lucas
1Illawarra Area Health Service, Wollongong, Australia. robert_moses@uow.edu.au
Objective:
To determine the rate of and indication for cesarean section for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) compared with glucose-tolerant women.
Research Design And Methods:
From a consecutive series of women with GDM seen over a 9-year period for medical management, women who had had a cesarean section were identified and the reason for the section determined from a review of the medical record. A control group of women who had had a section were obtained from an existing database of glucose-tolerant women.
Results:
The section rate for women with GDM was higher at 19.8% than the 15.6% for glucose-tolerant women. However, after adjustment for age and parity, no significant differences were found. There were also no differences found for the primary indication for section.
Conclusions:
In our health area of New South Wales, Australia, women with GDM do not have a higher section rate compared with glucose-tolerant women. Concerns about the diagnosis of GDM leading to an increased rate of obstetric intervention should not be generalized.