GDM threshold study shows high costs and little benefit

One major Australian hospital reported a 74% increase in women needing treatment
Jocelyn Wright
pregnant woman checking blood glucose

An Australian study has reignited the debate over gestational diabetes thresholds, reporting a 74% spike in the number of women at one major maternity hospital requiring specialised diabetes care during pregnancy.

The audit of pregnant women receiving care at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne prior to the criteria change in 2014 and afterwards in 2016 has found an increase in diagnoses and costs, but “seemingly no clear changes” in immediate overall clinical outcomes.