Conclusion and Implications for Translation
We observed that PDM and GDM is increasing in the U.S. among minority women. Additionally, our data highlight the increased prevalence of stillbirths and maternal mortality among women with PDM, especially Hispanic and NH-Black mothers, respectively.
Our results emphasize the need for the following: 1) broader implementation of standardized guidelines for reproductive age women diagnosed with diabetes with clear pre-conception treatment goals; 2) greater public health efforts to reach women at high risk for diabetes and GDM for screening and glucose monitoring; 3) additional research to better understand race/ethnicity specific risk-factors for PDM and the causal pathway for stillbirth and maternal death; and 4) allocation of resources is needed to address maternal risk factors and social determinants of health necessary to mitigate racial/ethnic differences and target effective interventions.