The Relationship of Maternal Age on Gestational Diabetes

This study was performed to examine the relationship between maternal age and serum glucose levels during pregnancy, and to determine if glucose screening could be eliminated in very young women without significantly compromising the detection rate of gestational diabetes mellitus. All women between the 24th and 28th wk of gestation who were followed in a university-affiliated prenatal clinic had a screening glucose level drawn 1 h after ingesting 50 g glucose. Those who had a 1-h serum glucose of > 150 mg/dl subsequently underwent a 3-h glucose tolerance test. There was a progressive increase in screening serum glucose levels and a significantly higher incidence of diabetes with increasing maternal age. Only 4% of women < 20 yr had a positive screen and 8% of these had gestational diabetes. If screening had not been done in those < 20 yr, only 5% (2/36) of women with gestational diabetes would not have been detected.