Gestational Diabetes in Twin Pregnancy: Prevalence and Long‐term Implications*

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Abstract
Summary: During the period 1971–1991 at the Mercy Hospital for Women, gestational diabetes (GDM) was diagnosed in 3,447 of 61,914 tested singleton pregnancies (5.6%) and 59 of 798 tested twin pregnancies (7.4%, p = 0.025). A difference was apparent in the period 1971–1980, when the prevalences of GDM in singleton and twin pregnancies were 3.0% and 5.6% respectively (p = 0.012), but not in the period 1981–1991 when the corresponding prevalences were 7.4% and 8.4% (p = 0.36). Of the 59 patients in whom a diagnosis of GDM in a twin pregnancy was made, 27 attended the follow‐up programme. These patients were matched to a control group of 27 patients who had GDM in a singleton pregnancy with similar characteristics for known risk factors for the development of permanent diabetes mellitus. On WHO criteria diabetes mellitus occurred in 5 (18.5%) of the subjects and 2 (7.4%) of the controls (p = 0.21).The difference in prevalence of GDM in twin and singleton pregnancies is less now that the overall prevalence of the disease has more than doubled (1971–1980 versus 1981–1991). Although the increased rate of permanent diabetes mellitus after twin pregnancy is not statistically significant, it would seem wise to make a special effort to enrol these women in the follow‐up programme.

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