The Correlation of Fetal, Placental and Maternal Weight with Glucose Tolerance

Summary: A 50 g. oral glucose tolerance test was performed at 32 weeks of gestation in 1,000 consecutive antenatal patients, 10 (1%) of whom were found to have gestational diabetes. The incidence of plasma glucose levels above the ninetieth percentile at any time during a glucose tolerance test was not increased in patients who were delivered of infants weighing 4,000 g. or more at birth. When the maternal weight was above the ninetieth percentile there was a significant increase in the incidence of high fasting plasma glucose levels (P<0.01) but the values were not increased at 1, 2 or 3 hours. There was no correlation between elevated plasma glucose levels and increased placental weight. The association between placental insufficiency (weight below the tenth percentile) and hypoglycaemia (plasma glucose below the tenth percentile) requires further investigation.