Comparison of the effects of gestational weight gain on pregnancy outcomes between non-diabetic and diabetic women

OBJECTIVE: Appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) is important in diabetic women. Current GWG guideline is for US general population, but not specific for diabetic women. We compared the effect of GWG on perinatal outcomes between diabetic and non-diabetic women. METHODS: Fifty two hundred and twelve women who delivered live singleton infants at Korea University Medical Center from January 2009 to December 2013 were included. One hundred twenty-nine overt diabetes women and 322 gestational diabetes women were categorized as diabetic women, and the others were categorized as none-diabetic women. 5,212 women were categorized by GWG (low 1,081; adequate 2,102; or high 2,029; according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines), and each of the 3 GWG groups was categorized into 2 groups; diabetic or non-diabetic women. And then, we compared perinatal outcomes between diabetic and non-diabetic groups. RESULTS: In each 3 GWG groups, primary cesarean section delivery, high birth weight, and large for gestational age rates were significantly higher in diabetic women than non-diabetic women. Only in adequate GWG group, preterm birth rate was significantly higher in diabetic women than non-diabetic women. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that diabetic women had higher rates of adverse perinatal outcomes than non-diabetic women, although they achieved same GWG. It suggests that current GWG guideline may not be adequate for diabetic women, and that diabetic women may need more strict GWG control than normal population.