Placental weight and placental weight-to-birth weight ratio are increased in diet- and exercise-treated gestational diabetes mellitus subjects but not in subjects with one abnormal value on 100-g oral glucose tolerance test

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the placental weight and placental weight-to-birth weight ratio (PW/BW) increased in pregnant women with one abnormal value (OAV) on 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and diet- and exercise-treated, non-insulin-requiring gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) subjects. The 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) was administered to 324 pregnant women. Women with abnormal 50-g test received a 100-g, 3-h OGTT using National Diabetes Data Group criteria. Women with GDM and OAV were treated with diet and exercise. Twenty subjects who required insulin or met exclusion criteria were excluded from the study. After the exclusion of 20 subjects, the GDM group consisted of 30 (9.7%) pregnant women and the OAV group consisted of 32 (9.9%) pregnant women. The control group consisted of 242 pregnant women. Birth weight (GDM: 3288.3±364.2 g; OAV: 3278.1±409.9 g; control group: 3270.6±346.5 g) did not differ significantly between groups (P>.05). Significantly higher placental weights (GDM: 694.8±152.1 g; OAV: 622.2±105.3 g; control group: 610.2±116.6 g; P<.01) and PW/BW (GDM: 0.21±0.03; OAV: 0.193±0.04; control group: 0.188±0.04; P<.01) were observed in GDM group compared to OAV and control group. No significant difference was found for OAV group in terms of placental weight and PW/BW compared to the control group. Our data indicated that women with OAV delivered infants and placenta of similar weight to those of normal pregnancies.