BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may increase fetal abdominal fat mass, but its correlation with fetal abdominal circumference (AC) is inconsistent. This study compares third trimester fetal AC between adult pregnant patients with and without GDM, and between those managed with diet modification alone versus insulin therapy.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study involved 354 Filipino adult pregnant patients at The Medical City admitted for delivery from January 2016 to May 2022. This included 180 patients with GDM, and 174 patients without GDM. One hundred sixteen (116) of the GDM patients were diet-managed, and 64 were insulin-requiring. Participants underwent third trimester fetal AC ultrasound and 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. The third trimester fetal AC, fetal outcomes and maternal outcomes between patient groups were analyzed using Stata 15.0.

RESULTS

The GDM group had higher rates of cesarean section delivery (70% vs 46.55%, pCONCLUSION

Third trimester fetal AC is significantly larger in women with GDM compared to non-GDM women, regardless of management method. Monitoring fetal AC during the third trimester is important for prenatal care in GDM pregnancies.

Human ; Female ; Diabetes, Gestational