A woman whose gestational diabetes was managed with diet alone delivers at 39 weeks. When should postpartum screening for persistent dysglycaemia be performed, and how?

• A Fasting plasma glucose on the first postpartum day
• B Random plasma glucose at the 6 week postnatal check
• C HbA1c at 6 months postpartum
• D 75 g OGTT at 4 to 12 weeks postpartum using non-pregnant diagnostic criteria ✓

Explanation

All women with GDM should undergo a 75 g OGTT between 4 and 12 weeks postpartum, interpreted with standard non-pregnant thresholds: diabetes if fasting 126 mg/dL or 2 hour value 200 mg/dL or above, prediabetes at lower elevations. Early postpartum fasting samples reflect physiological stress rather than true glycaemic status, and random glucose or delayed HbA1c miss the window in which dysglycaemia should be classified.

Reference: Williams Obstetrics, 26th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.