The frequency of gestational diyabetes mellitus in a maternity hospital antepartum clinic

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) frequency and age related frequency with GDM screening tests in patients whom referred to our hospital’s antepartum clinic for routine follow-up.Materials and methods: Totally, 2617 pregnant women who did not have any risk factors for GDM and attended to our antepartum clinic for routine follow-up between August 2009 and March 2011 enrolled in this study. A 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) applied at 24-28 weeks’ gestation. The patients who had a value of blood glucose ≥ 140 mg/dl undergone 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Patients who had a value of ≥200 mg/dl blood glucose in GCT or one value of ≥200 mg/dl in OGTT or had two values exceeded normal ranges in OGTT were accepted as GDM. Age related GDM frequency was also determined.Results: Of the 2617 pregnant women 110 patients diagnosed as GDM (4.2%). For the age related frequency, there was a tendency towards GDM after the age of 33. The age 44 was the most risky with a 33% ratio of GDM occurrence rate.Conclusion: In this study the GDM frequency in our hospital’s routine follow-up clinic was found as compatible with the 1% to 6% frequency reported in the literature. The higher frequency of GDM was found in advanced age pregnancies