Screen asymptomatic pregnant women at 24 weeks of gestation or after for gestational diabetes: USPSTF

USA: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released a new recommendation statement on screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women. It recommends screening for gestational diabetes in asymptomatic pregnant persons at 24 weeks of gestation or after. This recommendation is consistent with the 2014 USPSTF recommendation

The current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for gestational diabetes in asymptomatic pregnant persons before 24 weeks of gestation, the authors wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Pregnant persons with gestational diabetes are at increased risk for maternal and fetal complications, including preeclampsia, fetal macrosomia (which can cause shoulder dystocia and birth injury), and neonatal hypoglycemia. Gestational diabetes has also been associated with an increased risk of several long-term health outcomes in pregnant persons and intermediate outcomes in their offspring

The USPSTF commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the accuracy, benefits, and harms of screening for gestational diabetes and the benefits and harms of treatment for the pregnant person and infant. It included pregnant women who have not been previously diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that there is a moderate net benefit to screening for gestational diabetes at 24 weeks of gestation or after to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. The USPSTF concludes that the evidence on screening for gestational diabetes before 24 weeks of gestation is insufficient, and the balance of benefits and harms of screening cannot be determined. 

Reference:

"Screening for Gestational Diabetes: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement," is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.11922