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Diabetes Screening in Pregnancy
Continuous glucose monitoring in diabetic pregnant women can improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, BMJ reports.
Some 70 pregnant women with type 1 or 2 diabetes were randomized at roughly 9 weeks' gestation to continuous glucose monitoring (with instruction in using the measurements to make therapeutic changes as needed) or to standard care.
The primary outcome, hemoglobin A1c level, did not differ significantly between the groups until week 32 of pregnancy — after which HbA1c was significantly lower with continuous monitoring than with standard care (5.8% vs. 6.4%). In addition, both the median birth weight and the incidence of macrosomia were significantly lower in the continuous monitoring group.
The authors acknowledge that their findings require confirmation. Meanwhile, an editorialist makes the case that continuous glucose monitoring is less expensive than clinic-based monitoring, and may become even more affordable with widespread use.