Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Obstetric interventions for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
Tim Cundy1, Joanna Morgan, Claire O'Beirne
1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Diabetes Pregnancy Clinic, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
Objective:
To determine whether differences exist in the rates of obstetric intervention between women with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes, and whether there has been any change in cesarean rates over time, paralleling that seen in the general obstetric population.
Methods:
Data were examined from a prospectively collected series on the outcomes of 1030 deliveries (382 by women with type 1 diabetes, 648 by women with type 2 diabetes) from 1988 to 2008.
Results:
There was a secular trend to increasing maternal age (type 1, P < 0.003; type 2, P < 0.03). Intervention rates (induction of labor or elective cesarean) did not differ between type 1 (88%) and type 2 (85%) diabetes. The overall cesarean rate was 52%-55% with no secular trend. Poorer glycemic control in early pregnancy and primiparity were associated with primary cesarean in both groups. In women with type 1 diabetes, greater maternal obesity and retinopathy were also associated with primary cesarean.
Conclusion:
Intervention rates are high in pregnancies among women with type 1 diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes but they have not changed significantly. Secular trends toward increasing maternal age and obesity suggest that intervention rates are unlikely to decrease in the near future.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Type II Diabetes Mellitus III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis
Type II Diabetes I: Introduction