A randomized clinical trial of women with mild gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) reveals that pregnancy complications like Pre-eclampsia and Gestational Hypertension are reduced in those receiving treatment for Gestational Diabetes. Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), specifically those with elevated fasting blood glucose levels are at increased risk for foetal macrosomia and perinatal morbidity if treatment is not provided.

In this study 958 women were randomly assigned to a study group - 485 to the treatment group and 473 to the control group.The study showed significant reductions with treatment as compared with usual care in several prespecified secondary outcomes, including mean birth weight , neonatal fat mass, the frequency of large-for-gestational-age infants , birth weight, shoulder dystocia , and cesarean delivery . Treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus, as compared with usual care, was also associated with reduced rates of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.

The study conclude that the treatment for mild gestational diabetes mellitus did not significantly reduce the frequency of a composite outcome that included stillbirth or perinatal death and several neonatal complications but it did reduce the risks of fetal overgrowth, shoulder dystocia, cesarean delivery, and hypertensive disorders

Source:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/361/14/1339