Maternal and neonatal outcomes of singleton versus twin pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

by Fengming Tu, Aimei Fei

There is limited evidence exploring the maternal and neonatal complications of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) following singleton or twin pregnancies. Further, there have been no reviews completed examining the possible risk factors associated with GDM in singleton compared to twin pregnancies. This study assesses the impact of GDM in singleton and twin pregnancies on maternal and neonatal outcomes.

From 1954 to December 2021, a thorough literature search was conducted in the EMBASE, Cochrane, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases and search engines. The risk of bias was calculated using the Newcastle Ottawa (NO) scale. A random-effects model was applied and interpreted as pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Eight studies satisfied the inclusion criteria, with the quality of most studies being good to satisfactory. The risk of caesarean section (pooled OR = 0.32; 95%CI: 0.22 to 0.46), small-for-gestational age (SGA) neonates (pooled OR = 0.40; 95%CI: 0.19 to 0.84), preterm delivery (pooled OR = 0.07; 95%CI: 0.06 to 0.09), respiratory morbidity (pooled OR = 0.26; 95%CI: 0.19 to 0.37), neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (pooled OR = 0.19; 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.40), and NICU admission (pooled OR = 0.18; 95%CI: 0.14 to 0.25) was significantly lower in singleton pregnancies with GDM than in twin pregnancies with GDM.

Maternal outcomes like caesarean section and neonatal outcomes like SGA neonates, preterm delivery, respiratory morbidity, hyperbilirubinemia, and NICU admission were significantly greater in twin pregnancies with GDM. It is important for clinicians and policymakers to focus intervention strategies on twin pregnancies with GDM.