EFFECTS OF MATERNAL WEIGHT VARIATIONS AND GESTATIONAL DIABETES-MELLITUS ON NEONATAL BIRTH-WEIGHT

We evaluated the effects of gestational weight gain on neonatal birthw eight women in whom gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was diagnosed after the 32nd week of gestation. The prevalence of macrosomia, the bi rthweight differences from 50th percentile value of-a reference popula tion, and the relationships among plasma glucose values during oral gl ucose tolerance test and neonatal birthweight were evaluated in 60 new borns from mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus divided accordin g to pregravid body-mass index. serving as controls were 132 newborns of mothers with normal glucose tolerance, The prevalence of macrosomia was higher in the GDM group; the neonatal birthweight difference abov e 50th percentile value was higher in newborns of mothers with GDM; an d a strong relationship between maternal gestational weight gain and n eonatal birth weight was present in all pregnant women. In conclusion, (I) the gestational weight gain is a good predictor of neonatal birth weight in all pregnant women; (2) GDM enhances the increase in neonat al size induced by excessive gestational weight gain alone, and (3) a weight gain of more than 9 kg makes the relative risk of macrosomia tw ofold higher in GDM than in control mothers.