Monitoring and Medical Nutrition Therapy of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Pre-gestational diabetes (either type 1 or type 2) has the potential to subject the developing fetus to abnormal maternal glucose levels resulting in problems with organogenesis, resulting in congenital anomalies or spontaneous abortion. Whereas in, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) which manifests after organogenesis in the second part of pregnancy, therefore the major risk for the fetus is macrosomia. Although the goal for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for each of these disorders is the same which is euglycemia, the means to achieve it are very different and somewhat controversial1.