The Possibility of an Early Growth Delay in White's Class A Diabetic Pregnancy

Ultrasound scanning has revealed that some fetuses of women with insulin-dependent diabetes are smaller than normal in early pregnancy as judged by the crown-rump length. This early growth delay is negatively correlated to the quality of diabetes regulation. Nine White's Class A diabetic women had fetuses that were on average 4.5 days (range, 0–11 days) smaller than expected from the menstrual history. Apparently, the expectedly modest metabolic disturbances in early pregnancy of Class A diabetic women are able to interfere with normal embryonic growth.