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.