Gestational Blood Glucose Levels in Normal and Potentially Diabetic Women Related to the Birth Weight of Their Infants

Abstract

Data from 5,534 prenatal registrants who had blood glucose determinations following the ingestion of 50 gm. of glucose indicated that age is the only maternal factor of significance to resulting blood glucose levels when other variables are held fixed. The lack of a blood glucose—birth weight correlation in the general population was further explored with the demonstration that such a relationship exists among groups of potentially diabetic women. Overweight women giving birth to a large baby were found to have significantly higher mean blood glucose values. The overweight women with an infant of average birth weight or the normal weight women with a large baby had no such blood glucose elevation. These data imply that more accurate separation of either the overweight women or women giving birth to large babies into groups of special significance to future development of diabetes mellitus is possible.