Pregnancy in diabetic women: outcome with a program aimed at normoglycemia before meals

A program designed to achieve normal plasma glucose concentrations before meals was tested in 83 insulin-dependent diabetic women during 110 pregnancies. The women rigidly controlled their carbohydrate intake but not their total energy intake, and twice daily they injected a combination of short-acting (Toronto) and intermediate-acting (NPH or Lente) insulin. Obstetric care was highly individualized and was aimed at avoiding or minimizing the impact of complications, such as hypertension, on the fetus and ensuring fetal lung maturity before delivery. The mean plasma glucose levels before meals (+/- standard error of the mean) were 136 +/- 9, 117 +/- 5 and 101 +/- 2 mg/dl during the first, second and third trimesters respectively. Obstetric complications included hypertensive disease of pregnancy (in 30.0%) and hydramnios (in 16.4%). The mean gestational age (+/- standard deviation [SD]) was 38.1 +/- 1.8 weeks, the cesarean section rate 45.4% and the mean stay in hospital for diabetes control before delivery (+/- SD) 15.7 +/- 9.6 days. The perinatal mortality rate was 0.9%. Neonatal problems included congenital anomalies in 3.6%, somatomegaly in 24.6%, hypoglycemia in 26.5%, hypocalcemia in 17.3% and hyperbilirubinemia in 39.4%. There were nine cases (8.2%) of the respiratory distress syndrome, four (3.6%) of which were severe. These findings lend support to the importance of a policy aimed at achieving normoglycemia and fetal lung maturity before delivery, goals that are attainable without lengthy antenatal hospitalization.