The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects between 2 percent and 10 percent of pregnancies. Experts say there has been a steady rise in the prevalence of gestational diabetes as risk factors for the disease are also increasing (e.g., rates of obesity and increasing age of women at the time of pregnancy). Despite American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendations for GDM screening, questions remain, particularly about early screening in practice, including concerns about diagnostic thresholds and the utility of early screening in obese women. Several studies presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual Pregnancy Meeting (Las Vegas; Feb. 11-16) by a group of researchers from University of Alabama at Birmingham sought to answer these practice-based questions related to GDM screening. Diagnostic Thresholds for Early GDM Screening Early screening (14 to 20 weeks) for GDM may require using lower diagnostic cutoffs than are used for regular GDM screening at 24 to 28 weeks, according to a study presented at the conference. The researchers randomized 912 obese women to either early GDM screening (14 to 20 weeks) or to routine screening (24 to 28 weeks). GDM screening used a 50-g, […]