Screening for gestational diabetes.

Traditionally, screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been done only for those women with identifiable risk factors. To determine the value of screening all pregnant women, 363 consecutive patients were tested for GDM using a glucose challenge test (GCT). The test measured plasma glucose 1 hour after administration of a 50-gram oral glucose load. Those patients with a plasma glucose greater than 140 mg/dL were given a standard 3-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT) using 100 g of oral glucose. Patients with risk factors were compared with those without risk factors. There was no significant difference between the two groups for number of abnormal 3-hour GTTs. We conclude that in order to identify GDM, all pregnant patients must be screened. Universal screening was found to be simple and cost effective.