Twin pregnancy outcomes for women with gestational diabetes mellitus compared with glucose tolerant women

OBJECTIVE: To examine pregnancy outcomes for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and a twin pregnancy compared with glucose tolerant women with a twin pregnancy. DESIGN: Comparison of selected pregnancy outcomes. SETTING: Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. POPULATION: Women with GDM seen over a 10-year period by an endocrinologist, and women from a selected year of an obstetric database including Wollongong and Shellharbour Hospitals. METHODS: Examination of pregnancy outcome data from the two sources. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fetal birthweights and method of delivery. RESULTS: There were 28 GDM women with a twin pregnancy from 1229 consecutive referrals (2.3%) of women with GDM for medical management. For comparison there were 29 glucose tolerant women with twin pregnancies evaluable who had delivered over a 1-year period. For the women with GDM and a twin pregnancy there were no significant differences in demographics or outcomes except for a higher rate of elective Caesarean section. CONCLUSION: The higher rate of Caesarean section appeared to be related to the combination of a twin pregnancy and GDM rather than the twin pregnancy or the GDM independently.