The risks of emergency C-section, infant health conditions and postpartum complications in Taiwanese primiparous women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A propensity matched cohort study

Objective

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disorder that can occur during the second trimester of pregnancy. Our main objective was to perform a retrospective propensity-score matched analysis of a general population and to examine commonly occurring adverse maternal and infant outcomes in Taiwanese primiparous women with GDM.

Materials and methods

We conducted a nationwide population-based, retrospective propensity-score matched cohort study using the claims data from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance program between 2000 and 2015. A 1:4 propensity matched cohort of women who aged 18 years or older with GDM (n = 5981) were compared with women without GDM (n = 23,924). Propensity score was calculated based on women's age, residential urbanicity, delivery mode, antepartum comorbidity, and index year of delivery.

Results

The GDM group had a significantly higher risk of overall emergency caesarean section, infant health conditions, and postpartum complications than the comparison group. Women in the GDM group were more likely to undergo emergency C-section for fetal distress, uterine atony, obstructed labor, delayed delivery, failed induction of labor, and umbilical cord prolapse. Infants of women with GDM were also more likely to encounter pregnancy complications of malpresentation, pre-maturity and post-maturity. Being the most common infant conditions, roughly one-third (36.41%) of all infant were affected by jaundice, particularly in women with GDM than those without GDM (45.96% vs 34.02%). There were also significant differences in perinatal period infection, congenital anomalies, transitory tachypnea, fetal distress and asphyxia, respiratory distress, and birth injury between the groups. Women with GDM were associated with increased risks of developing postpartum complications in perineum laceration, mastitis, postpartum hemorrhage, and subinvolution of uterus.

Conclusion

The present study suggests that GDM is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and infant outcome in primiparous women without pre-existing mental diseases.