Gestational diabetes mellitus. At what time should the postprandial glucose level be monitored?

Objective: To compare selected pregnancy outcomes for women with gestationa l diabetes mellitus (GDM) with management based on testing either 1 hour or 2 hours postprandially according to the ADIPS recommendations. Methods: Prospective study of consecutive women referred for the medical ma nagement of their GDM. Women were allowed to select whether they would test either 1 hour postprandial with a target glucose of < 8.0 mmol/L or 2 hour s postprandial with a target glucose of <7.0mmol/L, Changes to diet and the introduction and adjustment of insulin therapy were designed to maintain p ostprandial glucose levels below these targets. Results:166 women elected to test 1 hour postprandial and 101 elected to te st 2 hours postprandial, There were no significant demographic differences between these 2 groups. The fetal birthweight, percentage of women requirin g insulin and the total daily dose of insulin were similar in both groups. Conclusions: For women with GDM, monitoring either 1 hour or 2 hours postpr andially led to similar outcomes. This would suggest that the ADIPS recomme ndations are equivalent and therefore women can choose the most convenient time for their postprandial monitoring.