[Diabetes and pregnancy. A prospective study of 14 cases (author's transl)]

Fourteen pregnant women with diabetes mellitus according to White's classification were studied. The presence or absence of bad signs of prognosis in pregnancy were noted throughout gestation. The development of microangiopathic lesions was evaluated at the beginning and end of gestation by direct ophthalmoscopy with two observers. Microangiopathic lesions were found at the end of gestation in some patients who had not had them at the beginning. This would suggest that pregnancy is a risk factor in the development of diabetic retinopathy. The lecithin-sphingomyelin ratio in the amniotic fluid was determined by thin-layer chromatography as an index of fetal respiratory maturity. This determination served as a reliable index of maturity in all cases except one. Lastly, fetal morbidity and mortality were established according to previous determined classifications.