The 75 g oral glucose tolerance in pregnancy.

A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed between 26 and 32 weeks gestation in 1371 women attending an ante-natal clinic in Melbourne. Gestational diabetes according to various criteria was present in 4.2% (2 h plasma glucose > or = 8.0 mmol/l), 5.2% (2 h plasma glucose > or = 7.8 mmol/l) and 5.5% by the proposed Australian criteria (fasting plasma glucose > or = 5.5 mmol/l and/or 2 h plasma glucose > or = 8.0 mmol/l). The long-term implications of gestational diabetes in the development of diabetes and metabolic abnormalities for both the mother and her child in addition to related infant morbidity emphasise the urgent need for an agreed definition of this condition.