Efficacy of home glucose monitoring in diabetic pregnancy

A randomized, prospective study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of daily home glucose monitoring on the outcome of pregnancies in women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Home glucose monitoring was compared with a weekly venipuncture protocol. No differences were observed between groups in clinical features (age, parity, White's classification) or representative delivery outcomes (method of delivery, weeks' gestation, or weight at birth). No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in several aspects of perinatal morbidity. However, home glucose monitoring was associated with fewer readmissions for diabetic control (p = 0.05), fewer days in the hospital (p less than 0.01), and decreased total patient expense (p less than 0.05).