Diabetes und Schwangerschaft – Update 2022

With a share of 80%, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common form of hyperglycemia in pregnancy. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes; the longer the duration of breastfeeding, the greater the effect. Women who have had a premature birth or a stillbirth are at increased risk of dying prematurely themselves. The potential of pre-eclampsia prevention with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid in women with diabetes mellitus is far from being adequately used. Pregnant women reduce their risk of a severe course of the disease by being vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The still high rate of perinatal mortality in pregnancies with type 1 and type 2 diabetes may primarily be reduced by improving basic factors in periconceptional care. Two-stage screening for GDM reduces GDM prevalence and medicalization compared to one-stage screening without harm to mothers and their newborns. The approval of metformin for pregnant women since February 2022 does not mean that metformin is recommended as the primary pharmacotherapy for pregnant women.