ABSTRACT
In the small numbers of women with an oral glucose tolerance test, the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was not significantly higher than in singleton pregnancies. The significantly wider screening for GDM among women with twin pregnancies should have reduced the difference in GDM risk, it is concluded that twin pregnancies were more prone to GDM. Therefore these women should be screened again in late pregnancy too. Few studies have examined the risk of GDM in women carrying multiple pregnancies, and their findings are conflicting. This could be partially due to differences in the criteria for diagnosing GDM. Considering the high prevalence of twin pregnancies, and the frequency of GDM in these mothers, it is surprising and disappointing that there is so little data on best metabolic approach to multiple pregnancies complicated by glucose intolerance. GDM generally raises the risks of adverse complications for both mother and child, but these risks can be reduced with appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
