Are there recognizable symptoms of abnormal glucose tolerance (hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia) in pregnancy.

The symptoms noted by 1,291 consecutive patients undergoing a glucose tolerance test during the third trimester of pregnancy were studied to determine whether their presence was attributable to obstetrically important hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia. Relevant symptoms were common and, apart from the more frequent occurrence of palpitations in patients with hyperglycaemia, did not have a significant relationship to maternal glucose tolerance patterns. Patients with hypoglycaemia weighed less, but did not evidence a reduced dietary intake, whereas those with hyperglycaemia smoked less. Symptoms classically associated with biochemical hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia were not reliable indicators for selection of patients with obstetrically significant hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia.