Management of diabetes in pregnancy: Antenatal follow-up and decisions concerning timing and mode of delivery

Pregnancy in women with diabetes remains complicated despite improvements in glucose control. This seems mainly due to the fact that normoglycemia is still outside of reach. Congenital malformations are already significantly increased in the case of HbA1c values of 2-4SD above the mean, and fetal macrosomia is increasing in incidence. The latter may be due to an increase in maternal body mass index (BMI), absence of cardiovascular complications, better placentation, and increased weight gain during pregnancy. Severe maternal hypoglycemia is a frequent complication during the first trimester of pregnancy. The outcome is generally poorer in the case of type-2 diabetes as compared to type-1, which is likely to be due to a higher incidence of maternal metabolic syndrome. In this article, preconceptional and antenatal management and the mode and timing of delivery are discussed, both for women with preexisting diabetes and for those with gestational diabetes mellitus.