Continuous glucose monitoring predicts glycemic status in postpartum women with a recent history of gestational diabetes.

BACKGROUND

Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) face an elevated risk of developing diabetes, yet postpartum screening is often This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of a blinded continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system (Dexcom G7) for assessing glycemic status.

METHODS

Of 40 enrolled participants, 39 completed testing at 6-24 weeks postpartum. Assessments included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c,), fructosamine, a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and 8-9 days of CGM wear. CGM metrics analyzed were mean glucose and time in range (TIR; 3.9-7.8 mmol/L).

RESULTS

Diabetes and prediabetes were identified in 1 and 9 participants by HbA1c, 3 and 10 by fructosamine, and 4 and 10 by OGTT. CGM metrics detected 4 cases of diabetes and 10 of prediabetes. Mean OGTT glucose correlated strongly with mean CGM glucose (r = 0.66, p < 0.001) and inversely with TIR (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). Paired OGTT and CGM values were highly correlated (r = 0.874; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Postpartum dysglycemia is prevalent after GDM. HbA1c and fructosamine lacked sensitivity and specificity, while CGM performed comparably to OGTT in detecting abnormal glucose metabolism in this postpartum population.Clinical trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT06057805.