Glucose tolerance and plasma insulin levels during the last trimester of pregnancy.

The subjects in this study were outpatients in the Department of Obsterics and Gynecology who had no family history of diabetes, no history of previous heavyfor-date births, stillbirths or neonatal deaths of unknown causes, no history of hydramnious or severee toxicosis of pregnancy, no obesity of 20% or more above standard body weight, and who had neither hydramnious or severe toxicosis pregnancy nor complications of the fetus or neonate during the course of the present pregnancy. Complications of the fetus or neonate would include : heavy-for-date baby, asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, polycythemia, and congenital anomaly. The pregnant women who had none of these complications were considered normal and given the 75 g glucose tolerance test (GTT). The principal subjects were those who took the test during the period from the 28th to the 38th week of gestation. The values for this group were compared with those for the group that