Can good blood sugar control during labor benefit offspring of diabetic mothers?

Hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, is a common and potentially serious outcome in newborns whose mothers were diabetic during pregnancy. Clinicians have wondered whether good blood sugar control during labour might reduce the risk that newborns will have hypoglycaemia.

A new Diabetic Medicine review of published studies reveals that there is a paucity of high-quality data concerning this potential association.

"This review underscores the importance of high quality investigations that examine the role of tight sugar control during labour and delivery for women with diabetes," said lead author Dr. Jennifer Yamamoto, of the University of Calgary, in Canada.