Serum fructosamine: a screening test for diabetes in pregnancy

Serum fructosamine levels were measured in 1200 pregnant women at different stages of gestation, 167 of them having a glucose tolerance test. There was a significant fall in fructosamine levels throughout pregnancy and details of normal values at different gestational stages are presented. A good correlation was found between fructosamine and glucose tolerance test (r = 0.813). Nine women had gestational diabetes diagnosed by glucose tolerance test and eight of those had a serum fructosamine level greater than the ninety-fifth percentile. This study confirms our previous findings that serum fructosamine may be a useful screening test for gestational diabetes.