Reflections on the Multicenter Randomized Trial of Treatment for Mild Gestational Diabetes

After the 2006 hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes study, which confirmed the relationship between maternal glycemia and pregnancy outcomes, the debate remained on whether treatment benefited gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Nonetheless, practitioners continued to universally screen for and treat women identified as GDM. To assess the benefits and harms of screening and treatment of GDM, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal and Fetal Medicine Unit Network designed and conducted a well-designed randomized controlled trial in women with mild GDM. The trial established that treatment of GDM resulted in a significant reduction in several important perinatal and maternal outcomes.