Comparing the Size and Weight of Placenta and Birth Weight in Normal Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes: Brief Report



Rahmani Z¹ ; Borna S² Show Affiliations
Source: Tehran University Medical Journal Published:2015

Abstract

Background: Diabetes can cause undesirable changes in structure of the placenta, resulting increase in size and weight of placenta. The aim of this study was, to investigate the placenta weight, size and birth weight of infants in pregnant women with controlled gestational diabetes compared with normal pregnancy. Methods: This study was conducted from October, 2012 to February, 2014 in two different hospitals, Valiasr and Shariati Hospitals in Tehran. Sixty-seven healthy singleton pregnant and 42 pregnant women with diabetes were selected during 26-28 weeks of gestational ages. Glucose tolerance tests (GTT) were performed to evaluate blood glucoses. Blood glucoses were controlled in diabetic cases very well. Length and width of the placentas were measured using ultrasonography during pregnancy. After termination of pregnancy, placental weights were measured and recorded using weighting scale with 10 gram accuracy by someone who didn't know about diabetes status. Baby weights were measured after birth and initial stabilisation. Results: In this study, there were no significant differences between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and healthy groups in Body Mass Index (BMI) factors. There was no statistically significant differences between the mean weight of infants born with gestational diabetes and control groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean placental weights between two groups. Ratio of the placental weights to the birth weights between the two groups were not statistically significant. The mean placental length, width and placenta length times by width in two groups had no significant differences, but the mean gravidities in healthy group was 1.7910 and in gestational diabetes mellitus was 1.9762 that are significantly different (P=0.0217). The mean parities respectively were 0.6567 and 0.8100 which was not significantly different (P=0.0183). Conclusion: The present study has shown there was no significant differences between fetal and placental weights in normal pregnancies and women with controlled gestational diabetes. © 2014, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All right reserved.