Prescribing exercise for prevention and treatment of gestational diabetes: review of suggested recommendations.

Exercise has been proved to be safe during pregnancy and to offer benefits for both mother and fetus; moreover, physical activity may represent a useful tool for gestational diabetes prevention and treatment. Therefore, all women in uncomplicated pregnancy should be encouraged to engage in physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, exercise in pregnancy needs a careful medical evaluation to exclude medical or obstetric contraindications to exercise, and an appropriate prescription considering frequency, intensity, type and duration of exercise, to carefully balance between potential benefits and potential harmful effects.

Normal glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus: what is in between?

Objective: The aim of this article was to define the metabolic phenotype of pregnant women with one abnormal value (OAV) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and to test whether OAV could be considered metabolically comparable to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or a specific entity between GDM and normal pregnancy.

Research Design And Methods: After 100-g 3-h OGTTs, 4,053 pregnant women were classified as having GDM, OAV, or normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Those with OAV were subdivided into three subgroups: fasting hyperglycemia (one abnormal value at fasting during an OGTT), 1-h hyperglycemia (one abnormal value at 1 h during an OGTT [1h-OAV]), or 2- or 3-h hyperglycemia (one abnormal value at 2 or 3 h during an OGTT).

Early impairment of beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity characterizes normotolerant Caucasian women with previous gestational diabetes.

Background And Aims: Women with previous gestational diabetes (pGDM) are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate insulin action and insulin secretion in women with pGDM.

Methods And Results: One hundred and fifty-three pGDM women and 45 with normal glucose tolerance during pregnancy (controls) were studied 1-3years after delivery.

Reference intervals for hemoglobin A1c in pregnant women: data from an Italian multicenter study.

Background: The reference intervals for hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c) in pregnant women without diabetes are not well defined, and few examples of reference intervals established by networks of different laboratories are available.

Methods: Five Italian Diabetic Care Units were involved in the study. Data were collected from 445 pregnant women without diabetes, selected on the basis of glucose challenge test results, and from 384 nonpregnant control women.